cerastes

[ suh-ras-teez ]

/ səˈræs tiz /

noun, plural ce·ras·tes.

any of several small vipers of the genus Cerastes, including the horned viper, that have a sideways looping motion like that of a sidewinder and inhabit deserts of northern Africa and southwestern Asia.

Nearby words

ceramics, ceramidase, ceramide, ceramist, cerargyrite, cerastes, cerastium, cerat-, cerate, cerated, cerato-

Origin of cerastes

1768; < New Latin < Greek kerástēs literally, something horned, equivalent to kerat- stem of kéras horn + -tēs noun suffix; earlier in sense “asp,” Middle English < Medieval Latin, Latin, as above

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cerastes

At a relatively late period other snakes were adopted as surrogates of the cobra and Cerastes.
The Evolution of the Dragon|G. Elliot Smith
America is the country of the rattlesnake; Africa, of the cerastes; and Asia, of the hooded snake, or cobra di capello.
Principles of Geology|Charles Lyell
In the two species of Cerastes, or Horned Viper, the eyebrows of the male bear commonly a sort of horn.
Reptiles and Birds|Louis Figuier
The name Cerastes, or horned, has been given to it on account of these projections.
Bible Animals;|J. G. Wood

The cerastes is also employed occasionally by the snake-charmers.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 5. (of 7): Persia|George Rawlinson

British Dictionary definitions for cerastes

cerastes

/ (səˈræstiːz) /

noun plural -tes

any venomous snake of the genus Cerastes, esp the horned viper

Word Origin for cerastes

C16: from Latin: horned serpent, from Greek kerastēs horned, from keras horn

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