bushmaster

American

[boosh-mas-ter, -mah-ster] / ˈbʊʃˌmæs tər, -ˌmɑ stər /

noun

a pit viper, Lachesis muta, of tropical America, that grows to a length of 12 feet (3.6 meters).

bushmaster British

/ ˈbʊʃˌmɑːstə /

noun

a large greyish-brown highly venomous snake, Lachesis muta , inhabiting wooded regions of tropical America: family Crotalidae (pit vipers)

"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 bushmaster

First recorded in 1820–30; bush ¹ + master

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.

The elder Mr. Tate killed a poisonous bushmaster snake five feet long just after he had stepped across it in the dark.

From Time Magazine Archive

The bushmaster ranges from southern Costa Rica to northern Brazil.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dr. Ditmars brought back no bushmaster, the extremely deadly snake in search of which he has journeyed to Panama before, but he considers this trip eminently worthwhile for the bats alone.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ever since the night some 40 years ago when a bushmaster, sent by a Trinidad collector, chased him around his attic room, Dr. Ditmars has had a special regard for this snake.

From Time Magazine Archive

The flight of queen bees and their swarms, the call to arms in a sleeping camp creates somewhat the commotion that the news of the bushmaster aroused with us.

From Jungle Peace by Beebe, William

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