snake

Noun · Verb
Synonyms: Snake RiverHydraserpentophidiansnake in the grassplumber's snakeauger

Open English WordNet

Noun (6)snakes

  1. limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomousSynonyms: serpentophidianType of diapsid, diapsid reptileKinds sea snake, blind snake, colubrid snake, constrictor, elapid, viperMember of Serpentes, suborder Serpentes
  2. a tributary of the Columbia River that rises in Wyoming and flows westward; discovered in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark ExpeditionSynonyms: Snake RiverInstance of riverPart of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, WyomingParts Twin, Twin Falls
  3. a long faint constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near the equator stretching between Virgo and CancerSynonyms: HydraInstance of constellation
  4. a deceitful or treacherous personSynonyms: snake in the grassType of bad person
  5. something long, thin, and flexible that resembles a snakeType of object, physical objectKinds closet auger, plumber's snake
  6. a long flexible steel coil for dislodging stoppages in curved pipesSynonyms: plumber's snakeaugerType of hand toolKinds trap-and-drain auger

Verb (3)snakes, snaked, snaking

  1. move smoothly and sinuously, like a snakeMore general glide
  2. form a snake-like pattern“The river snakes through the valley”More general wind, twist
  3. move along a winding path“The army snaked through the jungle”More general weave, wind
Word of the day · Sep 28About this word
onerousadjective

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

Advertisement

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Snake noun

Origin: AS. snaca; akin to LG. snake, schnake, Icel. snākr, sn…kr, Dan. snog, Sw. snok; of uncertain origin.

Zoology Any species of the order Ophidia; an ophidian; a serpent, whether harmless or venomous. See Ophidia, and Serpent.

☞ 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 Zoology, a large African snake (Python Sebae) used by the natives as a fetich. — Ringed snake Zoology, a common European columbrine snake (Tropidonotus natrix). — Snake eater. Zoology (a) The markhoor. (b) The secretary bird. — Snake fence, a worm fence (which see). U.S. — Snake fly Zoology, 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 Botany, a cucurbitaceous plant (Trichosanthes anguina) having the fruit shorter and less snakelike than that of the serpent cucumber. — Snake killer. Zoology (a) The secretary bird. (b) The chaparral cock. — Snake moss Botany, the common club moss (Lycopodium clavatum). See Lycopodium. — Snake nut Botany, the fruit of a sapindaceous tree (Ophiocaryon paradoxum) of Guiana, the embryo of which resembles a snake coiled up. — Tree snake Zoology, any one of numerous species of colubrine snakes which habitually live in trees, especially those of the genus Dendrophis and allied genera.

Snake transitive verb [past tense & past participle Snaked; present participle & verbal noun Snaking.]

1. To drag or draw, as a snake from a hole; — often with out. Colloq. U.S. John Russell. Bartlett

2. Nautical 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.

Snake intransitive verb

To crawl like a snake.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

Advertisement