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ALLIGATOR
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Either of two amphibious reptiles related to crocodiles but with shorter broader snouts
Synonyms:
alligator; gator
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("alligator" is a kind of...):
crocodilian; crocodilian reptile (extant archosaurian reptile)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "alligator"):
Alligator mississipiensis; American alligator (large alligator of the southeastern United States)
Alligator sinensis; Chinese alligator (small alligator of the Yangtze valley of China having unwebbed digits)
Holonyms ("alligator" is a member of...):
genus Alligator (type genus of the Alligatoridae)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Leather made from alligator's hide
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("alligator" is a kind of...):
leather (an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning)
Derivation:
alligator (crack and acquire the appearance of alligator hide, as from weathering or improper application; of paint and varnishes)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Crack and acquire the appearance of alligator hide, as from weathering or improper application; of paint and varnishes
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "alligator" is one way to...):
crack (break partially but keep its integrity)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Derivation:
alligator (leather made from alligator's hide)
Context examples:
The American alligator is the most abundant large predator in aquatic ecosystems along the U.S. Southeast coastal plain.
(Alligators, rulers of the swamps, link marine and freshwater ecosystems, NSF)
Unlike their relatives the crocodiles, alligators don't have salt glands and therefore can't survive full-time in salt water.
(Alligators, rulers of the swamps, link marine and freshwater ecosystems, NSF)
By tracking 'gators, the ecologists determined that alligators remain in marine habitats for longer periods around spring tides — tides just after a full or new moon, when there's the greatest difference between high and low water. (In contrast, neap tides occur just after the first or third quarters of the moon, when there is the least change between high and low water.)
(Alligators, rulers of the swamps, link marine and freshwater ecosystems, NSF)
The scientists used radio or GPS transmitters to track alligators adn discovered that the amount of time alligators spend in fresh or salt water depends on factors such as tide range and water temperature.
(Alligators, rulers of the swamps, link marine and freshwater ecosystems, NSF)
