n.
Pronunciation: ' krä-k ə - ˌ d ī (- ə )l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English & Latin; Middle English cocodrille, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin cocodrillus, alteration of Latin crocodilus, from Greek krokodilos lizard, crocodile, from krok ē shingle, pebble + drilos worm; akin to Sanskrit ś arkara pebble
Date: 1555
1 a : any of several large carnivorous thick-skinned long-bodied aquatic reptiles (family Crocodylidae) of tropical and subtropical waters broadly : CROCODILIAN b : the skin or hide of a crocodile
2 chiefly British : a line of people (as schoolchildren) usually walking in pairs