snake

 
Pronunciation: /sneɪk/

noun

  • 1a long limbless reptile which has no eyelids, a short tail, and jaws that are capable of considerable extension. Some snakes have a venomous bite.
    • Suborder Ophidia (or Serpentes), order Squamata: many families
  • 2 (also snake in the grass) a treacherous or deceitful person: that man is a cold-blooded snake
  • 3 (the snake) a former system of interconnected exchange rates for the currencies of EC countries: the snake did not have any provision for strong currency nations to help the weak
  • 4 (in full plumber's snake) a long flexible wire for clearing obstacles in piping.

verb

[no object, with adverbial of direction]
  • move or extend with the twisting motion of a snake: a rope snaked down

Derivatives

snake-like

adjective

Origin:

Old English snaca, of Germanic origin