crocodilus (Latin)

Where does "crocodilus" come from?

The Latin noun 'crocodilus' derives from the Ancient Greek 'κροκόδειλος'[1]. In Ancient Greek, this term served as an Ionic word for 'lizard'[2]. The Greek form may originate from a combination of 'κρόκη' meaning 'pebbles' and 'δρῖλος' meaning 'worm', reflecting the habit of crocodiles resting on flat stones[2].

Open questions

• The etymological composition of the Ancient Greek word, specifically its derivation from words meaning pebbles and worm, is considered a possibility rather than a certainty. [2]
• The ultimate origin of the Greek component 'δρῖλος' remains unknown, with various proposed connections to thickets, sharpness, and earthworms resting on thin evidence or dismissed as mere guesses. [3]

Full etymology tree

• crocodilus (Latin), 'A crocodile'
  • borrowed κροκόδειλος (krokódeilos) (Ancient Greek), 'lizard'
    • compound κρόκη (krókē) (Ancient Greek), 'pebble on the seashore'
    • compound δρῖλος (drîlos) (Ancient Greek), 'verpus'

Ancestors

• κροκόδειλος (Ancient Greek)

Descendants and derived words

• crocodile (French)
• krokodil (Albanian)
• cocodrilu (Asturian)
• krokodilo (Basque)
• крокодил (Bulgarian)
• cocodril (Catalan)
• krokodýl (Czech)
• krokodille (Danish)
• krokotiili (Finnish)
• crocodilo (Galician)
• Krokodil (German)
• krókódíll (Icelandic)

Sources

1. crocodilus (Latin) - Wiktionary
2. κροκόδειλος (krokódeilos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
3. δρῖλος (drîlos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris