cayman

Etymology

noun

1. Alternative spelling of caiman
   We were about to follow this advice, when another man, more rash than his comrades, said, 'I'm not afraid of caymans,' and spurred his horse into the stream. 1862, The Quiver, volumes 1-6, page 451
   Surely, when this animal comes, it is to eat us. Thus, we have to sing this hoa. This is how I learned this hoa for caymans. One sings this so he won't be eaten by the caymans. 1996, Dale Alan Olsen, editor, Music of the Warao of Venezuela: Song People of the Rain Forest, page 326
   Laguna Tortuguero has some 2,000 caimanes (caymans), a type of alligator indigenous to Central and S America. 2002, Harry S. Pariser, Explore Puerto Rico, page 157