mamba

American

[mahm-bah] / ˈmɑm bɑ /

noun

any of several long, slender, arboreal snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, of central and southern Africa, the bite of which is often fatal.

mamba British

/ ˈmæmbə /

noun

any aggressive partly arboreal tropical African venomous elapid snake of the genus Dendroaspis, esp D. angusticeps ( green and black mambas )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mamba

1860–65; < Nguni; compare Zulu imamba, izimamba

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Part of the work of Maranga and colleague Fredrick Angotte is extracting venom from one of Africa’s most dangerous snakes, the black mamba.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 20, 2024

Jardine, Khalek and their colleagues tested the effect of 95Mat5 on mice injected with toxins from the many-banded krait, Indian spitting cobra, black mamba and king cobra.

From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024

The 20-year-old daughter of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant recently spoke about her mission of continuing to promote the mamba mentality.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2023

In real life, the enclosure filmed is home to a black mamba snake.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2021

Once while working in the fields, a black mamba snake slithered over his foot and prepared to strike.

From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023