from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Alligator \Al"li*ga`tor\, n. [Sp. el lagarto the lizard (el
lagarto de Indias, the cayman or American crocodile), fr. L.
lacertus, lacerta, lizard. See {Lizard}.]
1. (Zool.) A large carnivorous reptile of the Crocodile
family, peculiar to America. It has a shorter and broader
snout than the crocodile, and the large teeth of the lower
jaw shut into pits in the upper jaw, which has no marginal
notches. Besides the common species of the southern United
States, there are allied species in South America.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Mech.) Any machine with strong jaws, one of which opens
like the movable jaw of an alligator; as,
(a) (Metal Working) a form of squeezer for the puddle
ball.;
(b) (Mining) a rock breaker;
(c) (Printing) a kind of job press, called also {alligator
press}.
[1913 Webster]
{Alligator apple} (Bot.), the fruit of the {Anona palustris},
a West Indian tree. It is said to be narcotic in its
properties. --Loudon.
{Alligator fish} (Zool.), a marine fish of northwestern
America ({Podothecus acipenserinus}).
{Alligator gar} (Zool.), one of the gar pikes ({Lepidosteus
spatula}) found in the southern rivers of the United
States. The name is also applied to other species of gar
pikes.
{Alligator pear} (Bot.), a corruption of {Avocado pear}. See
{Avocado}.
{Alligator snapper}, {Alligator tortoise}, {Alligator turtle}
(Zool.), a very large and voracious turtle ({Macrochelys
lacertina}) inhabiting the rivers of the southern United
States. It sometimes reaches the weight of two hundred
pounds. Unlike the common snapping turtle, to which the
name is sometimes erroneously applied, it has a scaly head
and many small scales beneath the tail. This name is
sometimes given to other turtles, as to species of
{Trionyx}.
{Alligator wood}, the timber of a tree of the West Indies
({Guarea Swartzii}).
[1913 Webster]