cayman

IPA/ˈkeɪmən/
KK[kˈemən]IPA/ˈkeɪmən/

cayman — noun

  • caymansingular
  • caymansplural

1. a medium-sized reptile found in tropical freshwater areas from southern Mexico t

1.nounB2
Definition

a medium-sized reptile found in tropical freshwater areas from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, with a long snout, short legs, and a scaly body reinforced by bony plates.

Example

The children watched a large cayman slide into the murky river near their village.

collocation: slide into + habitat (river)

The ranger estimated the cayman was over two meters long and weighed a hundred kilograms.

collocation: estimate + size and weight measurement

Common collocations
  • baby cayman
  • adult cayman
  • cayman species
  • hunt caymans
  • cayman population
  • cayman habitat
Synonyms
  • caiman

    alternate spelling used in scientific writing; identical meaning

Usage Note

Cayman and caiman are two accepted spellings for the same animal group. Cayman is more common in general British and American usage, while caiman is the standard spelling in scientific contexts. Do not confuse caymans with alligators — caymans belong to a different subfamily within the crocodilian group.

Common Mistakes

A cayman is the same as an alligator.
A cayman is closely related to an alligator but belongs to a different subfamily and is native to Central and South America.
alligators are mainly found in China and the southern United States, while caymans live in tropical regions of the Americas.
I saw a cayman at the zoo, it was swimming like a fish.
I saw a cayman at the zoo swimming slowly near the edge of its pool.
caymans are reptiles, not fish, and they breathe air at the surface.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cayman (also spelled caiman) refers to a group of medium-sized crocodilians native to Central and South America. Caiman is simply the scientific spelling variant and means the same animal. Alligators belong to the family Alligatoridae, same as caymans, but alligators are larger, have a broader U-shaped snout, and are found in the southeastern United States and eastern China. Crocodiles belong to a different family (Crocodylidae), have a narrower V-shaped snout, and are found worldwide in tropical regions. For example: 'The zookeeper showed visitors a young cayman, then pointed out the much larger American alligator in the next enclosure.'

caiman ↗alligator ↗crocodile ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • cayman population
  • cayman species
  • cayman habitat
  • cayman leather

Prepositions

  • in + [river/lake/swamp]
  • of + [species/types]

Etymology

TaínoSpanishEnglish

The word cayman entered English in the 1500s from Spanish caimán, which borrowed it from the Taíno language spoken by Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The Taíno word referred to these crocodilian reptiles that early European explorers encountered in the rivers of the Americas.