blacksnake

or black snake

[ blak-sneyk ]

noun

Also called black racer. a blackish racer, Coluber constrictor subspecies, of the eastern U.S., that grows to a length of 6 feet (1.8 meters).
any of various other snakes of a black or very dark color.

a heavy, tapering, flexible whip of braided cowhide or the like.

Origin of blacksnake

An Americanism dating back to 1625–35; black + snake

Words Nearby blacksnake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use blacksnake in a sentence

Anyway, I am going to cure her of the sleeping sickness, even if I have to invest in a blacksnake whip.
The Red Cow and Her Friends | Peter McArthur
And the teamster pranced out and brandished his blacksnake whip menacingly.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6) | John McElroy
With a couple of effortless bounds, the blackcat reached the trunk and slipped up it with the ease and speed of a blacksnake.
Wild Folk | Samuel Scoville
Born and reared in the rough timber-grown hills of Kentucky, he was as slim and active as a blacksnake.
Riddle of the Storm | Roy J. Snell
Let us be strong, and punish the venomous blacksnake, as we punished the big soldier long ago.
Little Oskaloo | Thomas Chalmers Harbaugh

British Dictionary definitions for blacksnake

blacksnake

/ (ˈblækˌsneɪk) /

noun

any of several Old World black venomous elapid snakes, esp Pseudechis porphyriacus (Australian blacksnake)
any of various dark nonvenomous snakes, such as Coluber constrictor (black racer)

US and Canadian a long heavy pliant whip of braided leather or rawhide

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

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