king snake

noun

any of numerous nonvenomous North American constrictors; feed on other snakes and small mammals

• Syn: ↑kingsnake

• Hypernyms: ↑colubrid snake, ↑colubrid

• Hyponyms:

↑common kingsnake, ↑Lampropeltis getulus, ↑milk snake, ↑house snake, ↑milk adder, ↑checkered adder, ↑Lampropeltis triangulum

• Member Holonyms: ↑Lampropeltis, ↑genus Lampropeltis

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noun

: any of numerous brightly marked colubrid snakes (genus Lampropeltis) of the southern and central United States that are voracious consumers of rodents — called also milk snake

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any of several New World constrictors of the genus Lampropeltis, that often feed on other snakes.

Also, kingsnake.

[1700-10, Amer.; KING + SNAKE]

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king snake noun

Any non-venomous N American snake of the genus Lampropeltis, which feeds on small animals and other snakes

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Main Entry: ↑king

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king snake,

1. a large, harmless colubrine snake that lives in the southern United States. It eats mice and rats and other snakes. It does not hesitate to attack and eat rattlesnakes.

2. any one of various related North American snakes. King snakes are constrictors of the same genus as the milk snakes.

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n. a large, smooth-scaled North American constrictor that typically has shiny dark brown or black skin with lighter markings. ● Genus Lampropeltis, family Colubridae: several species, in particular L. getulus. Compare with milk snake