The Chinese word 短吻鳄 is formed by combining three characters: 短 (duǎn), meaning "short"; 吻 (wěn), meaning "snout" or "mouth"; and 鳄 (è), meaning "crocodile" or "alligator". Together, they literally describe a "short-snout crocodile", which is the term for an alligator, specifying this reptile by its distinctive physical feature.