Alligator comes from the Spanish el lagarto (“the lizard”), which in turn came from Latin ille lacertus (“that lizard”). The ancient Romans never saw an alligator, though they knew of many other kinds of lizards. Oddly enough, the Latin noun lacertus was also the word for a person’s upper arm from the elbow to the shoulder. So the next time you work out, flex those lizards!
Saturday, September 2, 2023