ˈgāvēəl noun
also gha·ri·al ˈgərēəl
( -s )
Etymology: French, modification of Hindi ghaṛiyāl
1. : a large crocodilian ( Gavialis gangeticus ) of India inhabiting chiefly the basins of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Indus rivers and distinguished from the typical crocodiles by long slender jaws with teeth of nearly uniform size and soft, swollen, and inflatable nose tip and by completely webbed feet
2. : any of several living or extinct reptiles related to and resembling the gavial including one extinct Asiatic form ( Ramphosuchus crassidens ) of more than 50 feet in length
• ga·vi·al·oid -əˌlȯid adjective