From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcrocodilecroc‧o‧dile /ˈkrɒkədaɪl $ ˈkrɑː-/ ●●○ noun 1 [countable]HBA a large reptile with a long mouth and many sharp teeth that lives in lakes and rivers in hot wet parts of the world → alligator2 [uncountable]TI the skin of this animal, used for making things such as shoes a crocodile briefcase3 [countable] British EnglishLINE a long line of people, especially school children, walking in pairs4 → crocodile tears
Examples from the Corpus
crocodile• Typical reptiles include snakes, lizards, tortoises, turtles and crocodiles.• Even the apparent eating of children provokes a shudder of revulsion, as in the habits of the Nile crocodile.• It looked like a dragon, or some type of crocodile.• Some guides and camp managers claim to know safe swimming spots, others say the crocodiles know them too.• And I don't like life on your crocodile isle.Origin crocodile (1200-1300) Old French cocodrille, from Latin crocodilus, from Greek, “lizard, crocodile”, from kroke “small stone” + drilos “worm” 