Alligator

Alligator
Alligator Al"li*ga`tor, n. [Sp. el lagarto the lizard (el lagarto de Indias, the cayman or American crocodile), fr. L. lacertus, lacerta, lizard. See {Lizard}.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) A large carnivorous reptile of the Crocodile family, peculiar to America. It has a shorter and broader snout than the crocodile, and the large teeth of the lower jaw shut into pits in the upper jaw, which has no marginal notches. Besides the common species of the southern United States, there are allied species in South America. [1913 Webster]

2. (Mech.) Any machine with strong jaws, one of which opens like the movable jaw of an alligator; as, (a) (Metal Working) a form of squeezer for the puddle ball; (b) (Mining) a rock breaker; (c) (Printing) a kind of job press, called also {alligator press}. [1913 Webster]

{Alligator apple} (Bot.), the fruit of the {Anona palustris}, a West Indian tree. It is said to be narcotic in its properties. --Loudon.

{Alligator fish} (Zo["o]l.), a marine fish of northwestern America ({Podothecus acipenserinus}).

{Alligator gar} (Zo["o]l.), one of the gar pikes ({Lepidosteus spatula}) found in the southern rivers of the United States. The name is also applied to other species of gar pikes.

{Alligator pear} (Bot.), a corruption of {Avocado pear}. See {Avocado}.

{Alligator snapper}, {Alligator tortoise}, {Alligator turtle} (Zo["o]l.), a very large and voracious turtle ({Macrochelys lacertina}) inhabiting the rivers of the southern United States. It sometimes reaches the weight of two hundred pounds. Unlike the common snapping turtle, to which the name is sometimes erroneously applied, it has a scaly head and many small scales beneath the tail. This name is sometimes given to other turtles, as to species of {Trionyx}.

{Alligator wood}, the timber of a tree of the West Indies ({Guarea Swartzii}). [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Alligator — Alligators …   Wikipédia en Français

  • alligator — [ aligatɔr ] n. m. • 1663; mot angl. , altér. esp. el lagarto « le lézard » ♦ Reptile (crocodiliens) d Amérique du Nord (Floride surtout) pouvant atteindre plusieurs mètres de long. ⇒aussi caïman, crocodile. ● alligator nom masculin (mot anglais …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Alligator 2 — Alligator 2, la mutation Alligator 2, la mutation (Alligator II: The Mutation) est un film américain réalisé par Jon Hess, sorti en 1991. Sommaire 1 Synopsis 2 Fiche technique 3 Distribution …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alligator — Sm (Krokodilart) erw. fach. (16. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus frz. alligator oder ne. alligator, diese zusammengezogen aus span. el lagarto (de los Indios), wörtlich die Echse der Indianer , aus l. lacerta f. Eidechse . Die Lautform schwankt in… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • Alligator — mississippiensis Alligator sinensis Un Aligátor es cualquier miembro de las dos especies del género Alligator que existen, el aligátor chino y el aligátor americano. Tanto el nombre castellano actual como el latino usado en la clasificación… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • alligator — [al′ə gāt΄ər] n. pl. alligators or alligator [Sp el lagarto < el, the + L lacerta, lacertus: see LIZARD] 1. any of a genus (Alligator) of large crocodilian reptiles found in tropical rivers and marshes of the U.S. and China: its snout is… …   English World dictionary

  • Alligator — Alligator, MS U.S. town in Mississippi Population (2000): 220 Housing Units (2000): 81 Land area (2000): 0.983645 sq. miles (2.547629 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.058381 sq. miles (0.151206 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.042026 sq. miles (2.698835… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Alligator, MS — U.S. town in Mississippi Population (2000): 220 Housing Units (2000): 81 Land area (2000): 0.983645 sq. miles (2.547629 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.058381 sq. miles (0.151206 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.042026 sq. miles (2.698835 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • alligator — al li*ga tor, v. i. & t. [Because of the resemblance to the pattern on the skin of an alligator.] to form shallow cracks in a reticulated pattern on the surface, or in a coating on the surface, of an object. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Alligātor [2] — Alligātor (A. od. Crocodilus a.), das amerikanische Krokodil, mit stumpfer Schnauze, in welcher der 4. Zahn des Unterkiefers in eine Grube des oberen paßt, u. mit halber Schwimmhaut. Lebensart u. Nahrung haben sie mit den Krokodilen gemein; das… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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