Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

coral snake

See more synonyms for coral snake on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of numerous venomous elapid snakes, found chiefly in the New World tropics, as Micrurus fulvius (eastern coral snake), of the southeastern U.S., often brilliantly marked with bands of red, yellow, and black.
  2. any of several other snakes, as of the genus Calliophis, of Asia, having red markings.
Show More

Origin of coral snake

First recorded in 1750–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for coral snake

Historical Examples

  • I dell you a coral-snake is a peauty—all red und white like coral dot has been gestrung in bands upon der neck of a girl.

    Life's Handicap

    Rudyard Kipling

  • The coral-snake is much the same in color, and only a close observer would notice the difference.

    On the Trail

    Lina Beard and Adelia Belle Beard

  • The harlequin snake and the coral-snake are so similar in color and in habits, one description for both will answer our purpose.

    On the Trail

    Lina Beard and Adelia Belle Beard

British Dictionary definitions for coral snake

coral snake

noun
  1. any venomous elapid snake of the genus Micrurus and related genera, of tropical and subtropical America, marked with red, black, yellow, and white transverse bands
  2. any of various other brightly coloured elapid snakes of Africa and SE Asia
Show More
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