corn snake

American  

noun

1. a large, harmless rat snake, Elaphe guttata guttata, of the southeastern U.S., having yellow, tan, or gray scales with dark-red blotches: once common in cornfields but now an endangered species.

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Etymology

Origin of corn snake

An Americanism dating back to 1670–80

Compare meaning

How does corn-snake compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• rat snake vs. corn snake

Example Sentences

The three snuggled at night in the same bed with extra sleeping bags and worried about their three pets: their dog Lucky, their cat Sullie and their corn snake Storm.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024

Animal rescue officer Enola Evans searched the bedroom before finding the three-foot long reptile in the window frame, and identifying it as a harmless corn snake.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2022

Varney, in addition to keeping walking sticks in her room growing up, had millipedes and a corn snake named Beverly Crusher.

From Washington Post • May 21, 2022

He was and is a corn snake, 25 years old now, the longest-lived pet in the history of my family and my oldest friend — or tied with Colby, at least.

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2020

When she first got Jake, an albino corn snake, he was no longer than a pencil, but I still refused to come over to her house.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy