caiman

noun

cai·​man ˈkā-mən How to pronounce caiman (audio)
kā-ˈman,
kī-
variants or less commonly cayman
: any of several Central and South American crocodilians (genera Caiman, Melanosuchus, and Paleosuchus) similar to alligators

Examples of caiman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There’s also a historic hacienda built by the López presidential dynasty, a free natural history museum and a miniature Japanese garden whose pond is prowled by carp and caimans. Laurence Blair, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Neal Rubin was once given a caiman, a smaller South American crocodilian, as a birthday gift and moved it across the country in the back seat of a '71 Plymouth Fury. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 22 Feb. 2024 Jaguars and caimans, for example, love snacking on capybaras. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023 Waters infested with caimans, such as the Honey Hole, also have a suspicious dearth of native crocodilians, which suggests that caimans are crowding out indigenous alligators and crocodiles. Freda Kreier, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023 Most of the caimans sold in stores were spectacled caimans — a species so named for the glasses-like ridge that runs along their snouts. Freda Kreier, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023 Savvy businesspeople soon brought live caimans stateside. Freda Kreier, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023 Long after, about 13 million years before the present, the huge caiman relative Purussaurus cracked open turtles in ancient South America. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2023 Nature lovers venture to this remote wilderness area to peep sea turtles, manatees, speckled caimans, and birds while navigating the canals on a canoe. Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 6 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caiman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish caimán, probably from Carib caymán

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of caiman was in 1577

Dictionary Entries Near caiman

Cite this Entry

“Caiman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caiman. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

caiman

noun
cai·​man
variants also cayman
kā-ˈman,
kī-;
ˈkā-mən
: any of several Central and South American reptiles closely related to and resembling alligators

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