Adjacent Words

Snake definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SNAKE, n. A serpent of the oviparous kind, distinguished from a viper, says Johnson. But in America, the common and general name of serpents, and so the word is used by the poets.
SNAKE, v.t. In seamen's language, to wind a small rope round a large one spirally, the small ropes lying in the spaces between the strands of the large one. This is called also worming.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous [syn: snake, serpent, ophidian]
2: a deceitful or treacherous person [syn: snake, snake in the grass]
3: a tributary of the Columbia River that rises in Wyoming and flows westward; discovered in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark Expedition [syn: Snake, Snake River]
4: a long faint constellation in the southern hemisphere near the equator stretching between Virgo and Cancer [syn: Hydra, Snake]
5: something long, thin, and flexible that resembles a snake v
1: move smoothly and sinuously, like a snake
2: form a snake-like pattern; "The river snakes through the valley"
3: move along a winding path; "The army snaked through the jungle"

Merriam Webster's

geographical name river 1038 miles (1670 kilometers) NW United States flowing from NW Wyoming across S Idaho & into Columbia River in Washington

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English snaca; akin to Old Norse snakr snake, Old High German snahhan to crawl Date: before 12th century 1. any of numerous limbless scaled reptiles (suborder Serpentes syn. Ophidia) with a long tapering body and with salivary glands often modified to produce venom which is injected through grooved or tubular fangs 2. a worthless or treacherous fellow 3. something (as a plumber's snake) resembling a snake • snakelike adjective II. verb (snaked; snaking) Date: 1653 transitive verb 1. to wind (as one's way) in the manner of a snake 2. to move (as logs) by dragging intransitive verb to crawl, move, or extend silently, secretly, or sinuously

Britannica Concise

Any member of about 11 reptile families (suborder Serpentes, order Squamata) that has no limbs, voice, external ears, or eyelids, only one functional lung, and a long, slender body. About 2,700 snake species are known to exist, most numerously in the tropics. Their skin is covered with scales. They have good eyesight, and they continually taste the surrounding air with their tongues. Though they lack any voice, they are capable of hissing. Most live on the ground, but some are arboreal or aquatic, and some are burrowers. They move by muscular contraction, aided by elongated scales on their abdomen. They are fearless predators, focusing 70% of their solitary existence on tracking, capturing, and digesting their living prey; the construction of their jaws and bodies enables them to swallow large prey whole. Mating and laying eggs or bearing live young are brief seasonal activities. About one-fifth of snake species are venomous; some can kill humans with their bite. Others kill their prey by constriction or simply ingesting. Species range from less than 5 in. (12 cm) to over 30 ft (9 m) long. Snakes grow continuously throughout their life, shedding their outgrown skin at each growth increment. They inhabit all continents, but few species are found on islands or in regions with long winters.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a any long limbless reptile of the suborder Ophidia, including boas, pythons, and poisonous forms such as cobras and vipers. b a limbless lizard or amphibian. 2 (also snake in the grass) a treacherous person or secret enemy. 3 (prec. by the) a system of interconnected exchange rates for the EEC currencies. --v.intr. move or twist like a snake. Phrases and idioms: snake bird a fish-eating bird, Anhinga anhinga, with a long slender neck. snake-charmer a person appearing to make snakes move by music etc. snake-pit 1 a pit containing snakes. 2 a scene of vicious behaviour. snakes and ladders a game with counters moved along a board with advances up 'ladders' or returns down 'snakes' depicted on the board. snake's head a bulbous plant, Fritillaria meleagris, with bell-shaped pendent flowers. Derivatives: snakelike adj. Etymology: OE snaca

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Snake Snake, n. [AS. snaca; akin to LG. snake, schnake, Icel. sn[=a]kr, sn?kr, Dan. snog, Sw. snok; of uncertain origin.] (Zo["o]l.) Any species of the order Ophidia; an ophidian; a serpent, whether harmless or venomous. See Ophidia, and Serpent. Note: Snakes are abundant in all warm countries, and much the larger number are harmless to man. Blind snake, Garter snake, Green snake, King snake, Milk snake, Rock snake, Water snake, etc. See under Blind, Garter, etc. Fetich snake (Zo["o]l.), a large African snake (Python Seb[ae]) used by the natives as a fetich. Ringed snake (Zo["o]l.), a common European columbrine snake (Tropidonotus natrix). Snake eater. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The markhoor. (b) The secretary bird. Snake fence, a worm fence (which see). [U.S.] Snake fly (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of neuropterous insects of the genus Rhaphidia; -- so called because of their large head and elongated neck and prothorax. Snake gourd (Bot.), a cucurbitaceous plant (Trichosanthes anguina) having the fruit shorter and less snakelike than that of the serpent cucumber. Snake killer. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The secretary bird. (b) The chaparral cock. Snake moss (Bot.), the common club moss (Lycopodium clavatum). See Lycopodium. Snake nut (Bot.), the fruit of a sapindaceous tree (Ophiocaryon paradoxum) of Guiana, the embryo of which resembles a snake coiled up. Tree snake (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of colubrine snakes which habitually live in trees, especially those of the genus Dendrophis and allied genera.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Snake Snake, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Snaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Snaking.] 1. To drag or draw, as a snake from a hole; -- often with out. [Colloq. U.S.] --Bartlett. 2. (Naut.) To wind round spirally, as a large rope with a smaller, or with cord, the small rope lying in the spaces between the strands of the large one; to worm.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Snake Snake, v. i. To crawl like a snake.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(snakes, snaking, snaked) 1. A snake is a long, thin reptile without legs. N-COUNT 2. Something that snakes in a particular direction goes in that direction in a line with a lot of bends. (LITERARY) The road snaked through forested mountains... = wind VERB: V prep/adv

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Serpent.

Moby Thesaurus

Benedict Arnold, Brutus, Judas, Judas Iscariot, Quisling, adder, anaconda, animal, archtraitor, asp, beast, bend, betrayer, blacksnake, blind snake, boa, boa constrictor, bull snake, bushmaster, cobra, cobra de capello, cockatrice, conniver, conspirator, conspirer, constrictor, contort, copperhead, coral snake, corkscrew, cottonmouth, crawl, creep, crinkle, crook, cur, curve, daboia, diamondback, divagate, dog, double agent, double-crosser, double-dealer, drag, draggle, draw, drift, err, excurse, fer-de-lance, fink, flick, flip, flirt, flounce, garter snake, glide, go adrift, go astray, go on tiptoe, gopher snake, grovel, gumshoe, hale, hamadryad, haul, heave, hitch, hog-nose snake, hook, horned rattlesnake, horned viper, hound, hyena, inch, inch along, informer, insect, intort, intrigant, intriguer, jerk, jig, jigger, jigget, jiggle, jog, joggle, king cobra, king snake, krait, lift, loop, lug, lurk, machinator, mamba, meander, milk snake, moccasin, mongrel, nab, nail, nick, nightwalk, nip, ophidian, pad, pererrate, pig, pinch, pine snake, pit viper, plotter, pluck, polecat, prick, prowl, puff adder, pull, pussyfoot, python, quisling, racer, ramble, rat, rat snake, rattler, rattlesnake, reptile, rove, scallop, schemer, scrabble, scramble, screw, scum, sea snake, serpent, serpentine, shirk, shit, shithead, shovel-nose, sidewinder, sidle, skulk, skunk, slidder, slide, slink, slip, slither, snatch, sneak, snitch, spectacled cobra, steal, steal along, straggle, stray, swine, swipe, swirl, take in tow, thunder snake, timeserver, tippytoe, tiptoe, toad, tow, trail, train, traitor, trawl, treasonist, trimmer, troll, tug, turd, turn, turncoat, tweak, twine, twirl, twist, twist and turn, twitch, undulate, urutu, varmint, vermin, viper, wander, water moccasin, water snake, whelp, whirl, whorl, wind, worm, worm along, worm snake, wrench, wring, yank, yerk, zigzag