[croc.o.dile] n [ME & L; ME cocodrille, fr. MF, fr. ML cocodrillus, alter. of L crocodilus, fr. Gk krokodilos lizard, crocodile, fr. kroke shingle, pebble + drilos worm; akin to Skt sarkara pebble] (1684) 1 a: any of several large carnivorous thick-skinned long-bodied aquatic reptiles (family Crocodilidae) of tropical and subtropical waters; broadly: crocodilian b: the skin or hide of a crocodile
2. chiefly Brit: a line of people (as schoolchildren) usu. walking in pairs