Where does “alligator” come from?

alligator (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Spanish el lagarto, from English alligator, from English alligater, from Spanish lagarto, from Old Spanish lagarto, from Vulgar Latin *lacartum, from Latin lacertus, from Latin lacerta — lizard; ablative singular of lacerta.

alligator (Norwegian Bokmål): alligator

Definitions

  1. alligator

Ancestry of “alligator”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishel lagartothe lizard
2EnglishalligatorEither of two species of large amphibious...
3Englishalligater
4Spanishlagartolizard; beer
5Old Spanishlagartolizard
6Vulgar Latin*lacartum
7LatinlacertusAlternative form of lacerta: a lizard; The...
8Latinlacertalizard; ablative singular of lacerta
Every word from Latin lacerta
alligator — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer