Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Alligator |
AlligatorNoun1. Leather made from alligator's hide. 2. Either of two amphibious reptiles with shorter broader snouts than crocodiles. Verb1. Of paint, varnish, or the like: to crack and acquire the appearance of alligator hide, as from weathering or improper application. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "alligator" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1595. (references) |
Etymology: Alligator \Al"li*ga`tor\, noun. [Spanish el lagarto the lizard (el lagarto de Indias, the cayman or American crocodile), from Latin lacertus, lacerta, lizard. See Lizard.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Satire | ALLIGATOR, n. The crocodile of America, superior in every detail to the crocodile of the effete monarchies of the Old World. Herodotus says the Indus is, with one exception, the only river that produces crocodiles, but they appear to have gone West and grown up with the other rivers. From the notches on his back the alligator is called a sawrian. Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
Dream Interpretation | To dream of an alligator, unless you kill it, is unfavorable to all persons connected with the dream. It is a dream of caution. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Literature | Alligator When the Spaniards first saw this reptile in the New World, they called it el lagarto (the lizard). Sir Walter Raleigh called these creatures lagartos, and Ben Jonson alligartas. "To the present day the Europeans in Ceylon apply the term alligator to what are in reality crocodiles." - J. E. Tennent: Ceylon (vol. I. part 2, chap. iii. p. 186. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Metallurgy | A machine for shearing metal scrap with strong jaws(as a crocodile squeezer or rock-breaker), one of which opens like the movable jaw of an alligator. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | A. See:safety clamp b. Any of several types of machines for metalworking, rock crushing, etc., in which work is accomplished by two massive jaws, one or both of which move as, e.g., alligator shears (preferably, lever shears) or an alligator crusher (preferably, lever crusher) c. A prolonged, steel hingelike device by means of which the abutting endsof a flat drive belt can be fastened or laced together e.g., alligator shears (preferably, lever shears) or an alligator crusher (preferably, lever crusher). (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Alligator is a town located in Bolivar County, Mississippi. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 220.Geography
Alligator is located at 34°5'19" North, 90°43'14" West (34.088482, -90.720690)1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.7 km² (1.0 mi²). 2.5 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.77% water.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 220 people, 77 households, and 58 families residing in the town. The population density is 86.7/km² (223.7/mi²). There are 81 housing units at an average density of 31.9/km² (82.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 20.91% White, 77.27% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 77 households out of which 39.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% are married couples living together, 35.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% are non-families. 23.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.86 and the average family size is 3.27. In the town the population is spread out with 39.1% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 74.0 males. The median income for a household in the town is $16,667, and the median income for a family is $17,083. Males have a median income of $21,875 versus $14,063 for females. The per capita income for the town is $9,567. 47.2% of the population and 41.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 69.3% are under the age of 18 and 35.3% are 65 or older.Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Alligator, Mississippi."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Alligators and Caimans
American Alligator.
(larger version).
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Crocodylia Family: Alligatoridae Genera Alligator
Caiman
Melanosuchus
PaleosuchusAlligators and Caimans are reptiles closely related to the crocodiles and forming the family Alligatoridae (sometimes regarded instead as the subfamily Alligatorinae). Together with the Gharial (family Gavialidae) they make up the order Crocodylia.
Alligators differ from crocodiles principally in having the head broader and shorter, and the snout more obtuse; in having the fourth, enlarged tooth of the under jaw received, not into an external notch, but into a pit formed for it within the upper one; in lacking a jagged fringe which appears on the hind legs and feet of the crocodile; and in having the toes of the hind feet webbed not more than half way to the tips. In general, the more dangerous crocodilians to human beings tend to be crocodiles rather than alligators.
Alligators proper occur in the fluvial deposits of the age of the Upper Chalk in Europe, where they did not die out until the Pliocene age.
The true alligators are now restricted to two species, A. mississippiensis in the southern states of North America, which grows up to 4 m (12 ft). in length, and the small A. sinensis in the Yang-tse-kiang, China. Their name derives from the Spanish el lagarto, "the lizard").
In Central and South America alligators are represented by five species of the genus Caiman, which differs from the alligator by the absence of a bony septum between the nostrils, and the ventral armour is composed of overlapping bony scutes, each of which is formed of two parts united by a suture. Some authorities further divide this genus into three, splitting off the smooth-fronted caimans into a genus Paleosuchus and the Black Caiman into Melanosuchus.
C. sclerops, the Spectacled Alligator, has the widest distribution, from southern Mexico to the northern half of Argentina, and grows to a bulky size. The largest, attaining an enormous bulk and a length of 20 ft., is the near-extinct Melanosuchus niger, the Jacare-assu, Large, or Black Caiman of the Amazon. While all wild animals should be treated with respect, the Black Caiman is the only member of the alligator family posing the same danger to humans as the larger species of the crocodile family.
Some crocodiles can be found in salty water, but most alligators stay in fresh water.
- ORDER CROCODILIA
- Family Crocodylidae: crocodiles
- Family Alligatoridae
- American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis
- Chinese Alligator, Alligator sinensis
- Spectacled Caiman, Caiman crocodilus crocodilus
- Rio Apaporis Caiman, C. c. apaporiensis
- Brown Caiman, C. c. fuscus
- Broad-snouted, Caiman Caiman latirostris
- Yacare Caiman, Caiman yacare
- Black Caiman, Melanosuchus niger
- Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman, Paleosuchus palpebrosus
- Smooth-fronted Caiman, Paleosuchus trigonatus
- Family Gavialidae: Gavial
Cultural aspects
In Native American and African American folklore, the alligator is revered, especially the teeth, which can be worn as a charm against witchcraft and poison.Often, it is the butt of practical jokes by tricksters like Brer Rabbit.
An urban legend states that people buy baby alligators after visiting Florida or other places where they are native and flush them down the toilet once they get big. The story goes that full grown alligators exist in the sewers of cities like New York City. Small released alligators and caimans, though, are occasionally found in northern lakes.
Alligator skin was once a hot commodity, and was farmed in some areas, as pictured in the panoramaic image below.
South Beach Alligator Farm Larger version http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/pan/6a03000/6a03500/6a03511u.tif 5mb uncompressed tif
Pop Culture References
A top hit from 1956 was "See You Later Alligator", as sung by Bill Haley & His CometsSource: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Alligatoridae."
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Animal | Alligator, crocodile; saurian; dinosaur; snake, serpent, viper, eft; asp, aspick. |
Evil doer | Canker-worm, wire-worm; locust, Colorado beetle; alacran, alligator, caymon, crocodile, mosquito, mugger, octopus; torpedo; bane. |
Food | Alligator pear, apple; apple slump; artichoke; ashcake, griddlecake, pancake, flapjack; atole, avocado, banana, beche de mer, barbecue, beefsteak; beet root; blackberry, blancmange, bloater, bouilli, bouillon, breadfruit, chop suey; chowder, chupatty, clam, compote, damper, fish, frumenty, grapes, hasty pudding, ice cream, lettuce, mango, mangosteen, mince pie, oatmeal, oyster, pineapple, porridge, porterhouse steak, salmis, sauerkraut, sea slug, sturgeon ("Albany beef"), succotash, supawn, trepang, vanilla, waffle, walnut. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Alligator |
| English words defined with "alligator": Alligator mississipiensis, alligator wrench, alligatored, American alligator, Anguidae ♦ clip lead, cracked ♦ family Anguidae ♦ genus Gerrhonotus, genus Macroclemys, Gerrhonotus ♦ Lagarto, legless lizard ♦ Macroclemys ♦ Pine lizard ♦ snapping turtle ♦ Yacare. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "alligator": Alligator Pears ♦ baz. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "alligator": Lagarto. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Alligator" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Afrikaan (alligator), Dutch (alligator), French (alligator), German (alligator), Swedish (alligator). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Mmmm, butter cream, butter cream, alligator, butter cream (Rush Hour 2; writing credit: Jeff Nathanson) We're here about to capture this alligator right behind us, The trick to capturing this guy is to put your arms around his neck (Dr. Dolittle 2; writing credit: Larry Levin) You know, may there is an alligator running around with me as a handbagI mean who knows what they do with my old skin (Will & Grace; writing credit: Evan Weinstein) Alan, you wrestled an alligator for me. (Jumanji; writing credit: Greg Taylor) I'm choking the alligator. (Stranger Than Paradise; writing credit: Jim Jarmusch) | |
Lyrics | So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round ("The Battle of New Orleans"; performing artist: Johnny Horton) | |
Clever | No call alligator long mouth till you pass him. (references; author: Jamaican Proverb) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Alligator People (1959) An Alligator Named Daisy (1955) Pa Fishes in an Alligator Pond (1916) Alligator Bait (1900) L' Alligator (1990) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | The "Angry Alligator". Credit: NASA. |  | Passage to Alligator Bay, Everglades - looks like Pirates of the Caribbean Party off of HYDROGRAPHER. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Wild T-3 observations in Alligator Harbor Supporting Launch 1257 operations. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Juvenile human inspecting juvenile alligator snapping turtles. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | The Snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina, is easily confused with the alligator snapping turtle. Considered ill-tempered, they feed on invertebrates, fish, reptiles, carrion, etc. and a surprising amount of vegetation. These turtles trapped in the fresh and brackish waters of bay tributaries and sold to restaurants for use in soups and stews. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Bulltongue and Alligator weed colonizing water areas surrounding the marsh creation sites. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |
 | ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve. An American Alligator patrolling its nest area. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |  | Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. A model of an American alligator in the lobby of the Weeks Bay NERR Interpretive Center. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |
 | This emblem was received from the ship in 1958. It features an alligator (symbol of the Amphibious Force) in Pilgrim dress, standing on the ship's namesake, Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. A depiction of USS Plymouth Rock is in the left background. Credit: NAVY. |  | Fight between the Kentucky coon & the Tennessee alligator. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Florida Alligator" by Sam Segar Commentary: "Florida Alligator." | "Alligator mirror" by Julia Eisenberg Commentary: "Alligator mirror." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Jamaican Proverb | No call alligator long mouth till you pass him. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | So the alligator comes out of the mud with quakings of the earth |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Political Economy | FRANCE | For instance, French decrees and regulations currently prohibit the import of the following agricultural products: poultry, meat and egg products from countries (including the United States) that use certain feed compounds; products made with enriched flour; exotic meats (e.g., ostrich, emu and alligator); and live crawfish unless authorized by special agreement. (references) |
Trade | France | Products which are subject to restrictive regulations include: hormone-fed beef, poultry meat, enriched flour, genetically engineered foods and crops; "exotic meats" such as alligator and buffalo, crayfish, and certain fruits and vegetables which are subject to seasonal price restrictions. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Alligator" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 95.31% of the time. "Alligator" is used about 64 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 95.31% | 61 | 43,149 |
| Noun (proper) | 4.69% | 3 | 202,518 |
| Total | 100.00% | 64 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
1. Alligator, MS (town, FIPS 940) |
Expressions using "alligator": Alligator apple ♦ alligator bag ♦ alligator clip ♦ alligator cracking ♦ Alligator fish ♦ Alligator gar ♦ alligator grass ♦ alligator lizard ♦ alligator mississipiensis ♦ alligator pear ♦ alligator press ♦ alligator shears ♦ alligator sinensis ♦ alligator skin ♦ Alligator snapper ♦ alligator snapping turtle ♦ Alligator terrapin ♦ Alligator tortoise ♦ Alligator turtle ♦ alligator weed ♦ Alligator wood ♦ Alligator wrench ♦ american alligator ♦ chinese alligator ♦ genus Alligator ♦ spectacled alligator. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "alligator": alligator-hide, alligator-infested, alligator-skin. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
alligator | 2,653 | alligator belt | 51 |
alligator shoes | 322 | alligator alley | 49 |
gar alligator | 290 | alligator for sale | 40 |
alligator attack | 262 | alligator and hunting | 40 |
alligator picture | 216 | albino alligator | 38 |
alligator snapping turtle | 165 | alligator art clip | 37 |
alligator meat | 156 | alligator turtle | 36 |
american alligator | 97 | alligator point florida | 35 |
alligator farm | 83 | alligator clipart | 35 |
dj alligator | 78 | alligator shirt | 34 |
alligator lizard | 73 | alligator recipe | 33 |
alligator photo | 70 | alligator augustine farm st | 32 |
alligator point | 68 | alligator wallet | 32 |
florida alligator | 66 | alligator motorcycle | 30 |
alligator cartoon | 62 | pet alligator | 30 |
alligator record | 58 | white alligator | 29 |
alligator attack florida | 56 | alligator skin | 28 |
alligator clip | 55 | alligator attack florida in | 27 |
alligator and crocodiles | 55 | alligator dave | 27 |
adventure alligator | 53 | alligator pic | 25 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "alligator"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | alligator. (various references) | |
Albanian | aligator. (various references) | |
Arabic | تمساح إستوائي (caiman), تمساح أميركي. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | кожа от алигатор, от крокодилска кожа, алигатор. (various references) | |
Chinese | 鳄, 鱷魚 (crocodile), 鱷 (crocodile). (various references) | |
Czech | aligátor. (various references) | |
Danish | alligator, skrotsaks, nordamerikansk alligator. (various references) | |
Dutch | alligator. (various references) | |
Esperanto | aligatoro. (various references) | |
Farsi | نهنگ (Whale), تمساح (Crocodile), ساخته شده ازپوست تمساح . (various references) | |
Finnish | alligaattori. (various references) | |
French | alligator. (various references) | |
German | Alligator. (various references) | |
Greek | κροκόδειλοσ τησ αμερικήσ, μηχανή κοπής παλαιοσιδήρου, αλιγάτορας του Μισσισιππή, αλιγάτορας του Μισσισιπή, αλιγάτορας (cayman), αλλιγάτορασ, ψαλίδα (earwig, pruning scissors, tendril). (various references) | |
Hebrew | תנין (crocodile), אליגטור. (various references) | |
Hungarian | alligátor. (various references) | |
Indonesian | buaya (cayman, crocodile, villain). (various references) | |
Italian | alligatore. (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 鰐口 (temple gong, wide mouth), 鰐 (crocodile), アラム語 (a la mode, alibi, alkali, American league, Aramaic, arcadia, archaic, archaic smile, archaism, arena, aria, aristocracy, aristocrat). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | わにぐち (temple gong, wide mouth), わに (crocodile), アリゲーター . (various references) | |
Korean | 앨리게이터. (various references) | |
Manx | alligatyr. (various references) | |
Maya | aayil. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | alligatoray.(various references) | |
Portuguese | jacaré (alligator clip, broad-nosed caiman, crocodile clip). (various references) | |
Romanian | aligator, concasor (breaker). (various references) | |
Russian | аллигатор (gator). (various references) | |
Sepedi | kwena. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | aligatorski, aligator, drobilica (grinder, smasher). (various references) | |
Spanish | caimán (caiman, Cayman). (various references) | |
Swedish | alligator (alligators). (various references) | |
Turkish | Ameríkan tímsahi, timsah (Cayman, crocodile). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | каменедробарка, автомобіль-амфібія, алігатор. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | Alligator mississippiensis, Alligator mississippiensis (Daudin). (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "alligator": alligators. (additional references) | |
| |
"Alligator" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: alagator, alegator, algigator, aligator, allagator, allegator, alligateor, alligato, alligazoos, eliator, malegato. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "alligator" (pronounced a"lugā'ter) |
| 5 | -u g ā' t er | instigator, interrogator, investigator, irrigator, litigator, navigator. |
| 3 | -ā' t er | educator, elevator, accelerator, accumulator, activator, actuator, administrator, agitator, allocator, alternator, animator, applicator, appropriator, arbitrator, aviator, calculator, carburetor, cogenerator, collaborator, commentator, communicator, conciliator, consolidator, coordinator, decorator, defibrillator, demonstrator, denominator, detonator, escalator, evaporator, excavator, exterminator, fabricator, facilitator, generator, gladiator, illuminator, illustrator, imitator, incinerator, incubator, indicator, infiltrator, innovator, insulator, integrator, legislator, liquidator, locator, manipulator, mediator, Moderator, modulator, negotiator, operator, originator, oscillator, percolator, perpetrator, radiator, refrigerator, regulator, renovator, respirator, simulator, speculator, stimulator, syndicator, Terminator, ventilator, violator. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-g-i-l-l-o-r-t" | |
-2 letters: galliot, gorilla, litoral, otalgia. | |
-3 letters: aortal, argali, atrial, galiot, gloria, lariat, latigo, latria, rialto, tailor. | |
-4 letters: agora, agria, algal, algor, allot, altar, aorta, argal, argil, argol, argot, artal, atoll, atria, gator, glair, glial, gloat, goral, graal, grail, grill, griot, groat, laari, largo, lirot, logia, loral, ratal, ratio, riata, taiga, talar, tiara, tolar, tragi. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-g-i-l-l-o-r-t" | |
+1 letter: alligators. | |
+3 letters: allografting, astrological, extralogical, gladiatorial, reallocating. | |
+4 letters: categorically, collaborating, gradationally, legislatorial, malariologist, orgiastically, teratological. | |
+5 letters: allegorization, astrologically, dermatological, generationally, iatrogenically, malariologists, metallographic, morganatically, narratological, organometallic, primatological. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Fiction 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Usage Frequency 12. Cities | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Translations: Ancient | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
