am|phis|bae|na

am|phis|bae|na «_AM fihs BEE nuh», noun.

1. a wormlike lizard, found especially in caves or other underground places in the tropics, whose head and tail appear superficially to be indistinguishable and which can move with equal ease either backward or forward.

2. a venomous serpent in early fables, having a head at each end and able to move in either direction.

╂[< Latin amphisbaena < Greek amphísbaina < amphís, amphi- both ways + baínein go]