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Glite Dictionary
caiman lizard

caiman lizard

8.2
A large South American lizard like a small crocodile that lives near water and crushes snails and mussels
  • noun
  • /ˈkeɪmən ˈlɪzərd/
translation icon : lagarto caimán
  • The caiman lizard spends much of its time in or near water hunting for snails and mussels.

Examples

  • Some caiman lizards can grow over 6 feet long.

  • At the zoo, we watched a caiman lizard crush a snail with its powerful jaws.

  • The fisherman admired the caiman lizards basking on the riverbank after a rainy season.

  • The caiman lizard spends much of its time in or near water hunting for prey.

  • The caiman lizard is often found near rivers.

  • At the zoo, we watched a caiman lizard crush a snail with its powerful jaws.

  • Some caiman lizards can grow over 6 feet long and are known for their strong jaws.

Surface Forms

caiman lizard singular
caiman lizards plural

Morphology

caiman + lizard

The compound is directly descriptive: combining 'caiman' (a crocodile-like, armored reptile) with 'lizard' yields a lizard that resembles a caiman. This noun-noun composition is transparently interpretable and follows common cross-linguistic descriptive patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Caiman lizard gets its name because it looks like a small caiman and is still a lizard, with hard scales and very strong jaws. That's why the name fits this water lizard that uses its jaws to 'crush' snails and mussels.