croc
UK[krɒk]US[krɑːk]
n
A crocodile.
n
A crocodile leather product, such as a shoe or bag.
Etymology
The word 'croc' is a 20th-century abbreviation of 'crocodile', which entered English via Old French 'cocodrille' and Latin 'crocodilus'. The Latin term was borrowed from Greek 'krokodilos', a compound meaning 'pebble worm', from 'krokē' (pebble) and 'drilos' (worm). This unusual name was given by the Greeks because they observed the Nile crocodile basking on gravel riverbanks. The clipped form 'croc' follows a common English pattern of creating informal, monosyllabic nouns from longer words, such as 'lab' from 'laboratory' or 'ad' from 'advertisement', retaining the core semantic association with the reptile.
Analysis
The word 'croc' is a modern English clipping (shortening) of the full word 'crocodile'. It does not contain separable morphemes in its current form.
Examples
We saw a massive croc sunning itself on the riverbank.
She bought a pair of expensive designer crocs for her vacation.
The wildlife documentary focused on the life cycle of the saltwater croc.