noun
crocodile; alligator; crocodilian
A formal or literary term for crocodilians, including both crocodiles and alligators. In everyday speech, ワニ is far more common.
See also: 鰐
鰐魚は爬虫類に分類される。
Crocodilians are classified as reptiles.
この地域には大型の鰐魚が生息している。
Large crocodilians inhabit this region.
The common, everyday word for crocodile or alligator. 鰐魚 is a more formal, literary synonym.
From Chinese 鰐魚 (èyú), meaning crocodile. The exact historical derivation into Japanese is uncertain, but the word is a Sino-Japanese compound.