crocodile (French)
Where does "crocodile" come from?
The word crocodile traces its roots to the Ancient Greek 'krokódeilos,' a term for a lizard that may have described a creature resting on pebbles. It traveled into Latin as 'crocodīlus' and later entered Old French as 'cocodril' before being respelled in English. This final adjustment restored the connection to the original Latin spelling, solidifying the name we use for the reptile today.
Full etymology tree
- crocodile (French), 'crocodile'
- inherited cocodril (Old French), 'crocodile (reptile)'
- inherited crocodīlus (Latin), 'A crocodile'
- learned borrowing κροκόδειλος (krokódeilos) (Ancient Greek), 'lizard'
- compound κρόκη (krókē) (Ancient Greek), 'thread which is passed between the threads of the warp, woof'
- compound δρῖλος (drîlos) (Ancient Greek), 'verpus'
- learned borrowing κροκόδειλος (krokódeilos) (Ancient Greek), 'lizard'
- inherited crocodīlus (Latin), 'A crocodile'
- inherited cocodril (Old French), 'crocodile (reptile)'
Ancestors
- cocodril (Old French)
- crocodilus (Latin)
Cognates and doublets
Descendants and derived words
- crocodile marin (French)
- larmes de crocodile (French)
- krokodil (Mauritian Creole)
- crocodil (Romanian)
- krokodil (Seychellois Creole)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris