krokodil

K5R1O1K5O1D2I1L1

noun

The drug desomorphine.

OriginRussian крокоди́л →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nounkrokodil (uncountable)
  1. slanguncountableThe drug desomorphine.

    But other synthetic drugs, such the ones known in the streets as bath salts, now dominate the market in Russia, while the most common sign of krokodil is the quiet devastation it has left behind.

    2016, Simon Shuster, Time magazine

Origin

  1. Russianкрокоди́л“crocodile”
  2. Englishkrokodil

From the Russian крокоди́л (krokodíl, “crocodile”), because of its damaging effects on the skin, possibly related to the chemical name of the precursor α-chlorocodide. Doublet of crocodile.

More words from Russian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

krokodil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/krokodil

MLA

“krokodil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/krokodil. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “krokodil,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/krokodil.

Source: krokodil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.