Alligator is el lagarto (a word for lizard) which is where English gets the word from. Crocodile is cocodrilo.
(The South American name for the relatively smaller crocodilian is caiman.)
It's alligator, from the spanish el lagarto.
Alligator/s crocodile/s
ALLIGATOR - a large crocodilian reptile
The word "alligator" originated from the Spanish language in the country of Spain. It is derived from the Spanish word "el lagarto," which means "the lizard."
caimán
spanish
caimán
Direct quote from Wikipedia... "The name alligator is an anglicized form of el lagarto, the Spanish term for "lizard", which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator."
Spanish
Cocodrilo or aligator.
Well, there are different types of alligators with their own scientific names. The general family of alligators is called Alligatoridae, which is derived from the Spanish el lagarto(the lizard). The alligator is a crocodilia ind the genus Alligator.The Spanish guys found the American alligator (alligator mississippiensis) while exploring around Florida; but there's also a Chinese alligator (alligator sinensis) which is smaller, but better armoured.The alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two species -- the Alligator Mississippiensis or American alligator and the Alligator Sinensis or Chinese alligator.
The word "alligator" comes from the Spanish word "el lagarto," which means "the lizard."