The Cayman Islands Are Named After the Reptile
A cayman is a small crocodilian of Central and South America. The Caribbean islands took their name from it.
A cayman, also spelled caiman, is a small crocodilian of Central and South America. The Cayman Islands were named for them by early Spanish sailors, though the reptiles they saw were probably actually crocodiles. The word came into Spanish from an Indigenous Caribbean language and spread through European languages from there.
- A small crocodilian. *A spectacled cayman.*
- Caiman — the more common spelling. *A black caiman.*
- Cayman Islands — the British territory. *Registered in the Cayman Islands.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cayman | A young cayman. |
| Variant | caiman | A black caiman. |
| Plural | caymans | Several caymans. |
| Family | Alligatoridae | In the Alligatoridae. |
| Related | alligator | An American alligator. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Caymans belong to the alligator family.Not the crocodile family.
- The black caiman is the largest species.It can exceed four metres.
- The islands were named by Spanish sailors.History.
Telling crocodilians apart
- Alligator — broad rounded snout, lower teeth hidden when the mouth closes
- Crocodile — narrower V-shaped snout, fourth tooth visible
- Caiman — smaller, in the alligator family, with bony plates on the belly
- Gharial — extremely narrow snout, adapted for fish
- Range — caimans are found only in the Americas
From Spanish *caimán*, from a Carib or Arawak word. English uses both spellings, with *caiman* usual for the animal and *Cayman* for the islands.
Caiman or cayman?
Caiman is standard for the animal. Cayman is kept for the islands and for some older texts.
Are caimans alligators?
They belong to the alligator family, but are a separate group with bony plates on the belly and generally smaller size.