gharial

American

[guhr-ee-uhl] / ˈgʌr i əl /

noun

a large crocodilian, Gavialis gangeticus, of India and Pakistan, having elongated, garlike jaws: an endangered species.

gharial British

/ ˈɡærɪəl /

noun

another name for for gavial

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gharial

First recorded in 1815–25; from French, from Hindi ghariyāl

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Many community forests are adjacent to national parks, and their revival has allowed endangered plant and animal species, including the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros and the gharial, a crocodilian reptile, to thrive.

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2022

Its croc cousin the gharial, on the other hand, is critically endangered.

From Reuters • Apr. 27, 2022

You're forgiven for doing a double-take because you don't immediately register that this male gharial croc's back is entirely covered by its young.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2020

When a gharial seeks to build clout, He will flaunt his distinct bulbous snout.

From Washington Post • Sep. 7, 2017

And from May 2016 to January 2017, Ancient Predators in a Modern World will tour 200 million years of crocodiles and their alligator, caiman and gharial relatives.

From Nature • Jan. 5, 2016

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023