Etymology

crocodile

croc·o·dile
C3R1O1C3O1D2I1L1E1

Today it means: Any of the predatory amphibious reptiles of the family Crocodylidae; (loosely) a crocodilian, any species of the order Crocodilia, which also includes the alligators, caimans and gavials. Full definition →

Middle English cocodrill ← Old French cocodril ← Medieval Latin cocodrillus
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crocodile · noun1

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromκροκόδειλος
  2. Latin · derived fromcrocodilus
  3. Medieval Latin · derived fromcocodrillus
  4. Old French · derived fromcocodril
  5. Middle English · inherited fromcocodrill
  6. English todaycrocodile

Inherited from Middle English cocodrill, cokadrill, cokedril, from Old French cocodril (modern French crocodile), from Medieval Latin cocodrillus, from Latin crocodilus, from Ancient Greek κροκόδειλος (krokódeilos). The word was later refashioned after the Latin and Greek forms. Doublet of krokodil.

crocodile · verb2

  1. Esperanto · calque ofkrokodili
  2. English todaycrocodile

Derived from the noun as a calque of Esperanto krokodili.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.