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Stage 1 of 3
kaiman
Cariban · pre-1500s
"a large crocodilian reptile"
named the large reptile found in Caribbean and South American waters
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Stage 2 of 3
caimán
Spanish · 1570s
"a crocodile-like reptile of the Americas"
adopted by Spanish explorers describing the animal
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Stage 3 of 3
cayman
English · 1570s-1600s
"a crocodilian reptile related to the alligator"
anglicized from Spanish accounts of New World wildlife
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