# alligatored

Pronunciation: US say "AL-i-gay-turd" /ˈæl.ɪ.ɡeɪ.tɚd/; UK say "AL-i-gay-tuhd" /ˈæl.ɪ.ɡeɪ.təd/

## Adjective

1. Of paint, varnish, or a similar finish, broken into a network of cracks and ridges that resemble the scaly hide of an alligator.
   - Simple: Cracked all over into small rough pieces, the way old paint can look like an alligator's skin.
   - _Restorers found the entire canvas alligatored, its surface webbed with fine cracks._
   - _Decades of harsh sun had left the boat's hull alligatored and peeling._

## Verb

2. Simple past and past participle of alligator. — simple past and past participle of alligator
   - Simple: Simple past and past participle of alligator. Use this form when the cracking has already happened.
   - _The lacquer alligatored as the lower coat kept shrinking beneath it._
   - _Cheap enamel had alligatored across the radiator within a single summer._

## Origin

Formed from "alligator" with the suffix "-ed."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/alligatored (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).