(vertebrate zoology) An order of the class Reptilia which is composed of large, voracious, aquatic species, including the alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and gavials.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.