alligator

Why is the large, familiar semiaquatic reptile called an alligator?

The name of this large saurian has a long history. Originating from the Roman word for lizard, lacertus—literally meaning "forearm" (the largest lizard the Romans ever encountered was about the size of a human forearm; hence, lacertus)—the word was eventually adopted and assimilated into Spanish as legarto. When the Spaniards sailed to the New World and encountered the large reptilian beast we know as today's alligator, they called it el lagarto ("the lizard"), adding the definite article "el" before the noun.

Anglo-speaking colonists misinterpreted el lagarto as a single word, ellagarto, which over time became English alligator.

Etymological journey: lacertus (L.) → lagarto (Sp.) → ellagarto (E. misint.) → alligator (E.)

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