milk snake

milk snake
noun
nonvenomous tan and brown king snake with an arrow-shaped occipital spot; southeastern ones have red stripes like coral snakes
• Hypernyms: ↑king snake, ↑kingsnake

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noun
: king snake; especially : a common harmless snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) that is grayish or tan with black-bordered brown blotches and an arrow-shaped occipital spot, occurs from Canada to Mexico, and is popularly believed to frequent milk houses to drink milk though in fact it preys upon the mice infesting such places

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any of numerous, usually brightly marked king snakes of the subspecies Lampropeltis triangulum (doliata), of North America. Also called house snake, milk adder.
[1790-1800, Amer.; so called because they were said to suck milk from cows]

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milk snake noun
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Main Entry: ↑milk

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milk snake,
any one of several harmless, tricolored, blotched or ringed snakes of North America, which are constrictors of the same genus as the king snakes. One kind is sometimes confused with the copperhead. Milk snakes are traditionally, but wrongly, supposed to milk cows; house snake.

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n. a harmless North American constrictor that is typically strongly marked with red and black on yellow or white. It was formerly supposed to suck milk from sleeping cows. ● Genus Lampropeltis, family Colubridae: several species, in particular L. triangulum. Compare with king snake

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Milk Snake — red milk snake Lampropeltis triangulum syspila Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia …   Wikipedia

  • Milk snake — Milk Milk (m[i^]lk), n. [AS. meoluc, meoloc, meolc, milc; akin to OFries. meloc, D. melk, G. milch, OHG. miluh, Icel. mj[=o]lk, Sw. mj[ o]lk, Dan. melk, Goth. miluks, G. melken to milk, OHG. melchan, Lith. milszti, L. mulgere, Gr. ame lgein.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Milk snake — 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • milk snake — ☆ milk snake n. a harmless colubrid snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) with brown or reddish bands bordered by black: it feeds on rodents, reptiles, etc …   English World dictionary

  • milk snake — milk′ snake n. ram any of numerous, usu. brightly marked king snakes of the subspecies Lampropeltis triangulum (doliata), of North America • Etymology: 1790–1800 …   From formal English to slang

  • milk snake — any of numerous, usually brightly marked king snakes of the subspecies Lampropeltis triangulum (doliata), of North America. Also called house snake, milk adder. [1790 1800, Amer.; so called because they were said to suck milk from cows] * * * …   Universalium

  • milk snake — noun Date: 1800 a common harmless grayish or tan American colubrid snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) having an arrow shaped occipital marking and brown blotches on the body bordered with black or rings usually of black, red, and yellow; broadly… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • milk snake — noun Any of various snakes, Lampropeltis triangulum, with smooth and shiny scales and typically a pattern of colours that runs red black yellow or white black red …   Wiktionary

  • milk-snake — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Milk — (m[i^]lk), n. [AS. meoluc, meoloc, meolc, milc; akin to OFries. meloc, D. melk, G. milch, OHG. miluh, Icel. mj[=o]lk, Sw. mj[ o]lk, Dan. melk, Goth. miluks, G. melken to milk, OHG. melchan, Lith. milszti, L. mulgere, Gr. ame lgein. [root]107. Cf …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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