milk snake

American  

noun

1. any of numerous, usually brightly marked king snakes of the subspecies Lampropeltis triangulum (doliata ), of North America.

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milk snake British  

noun

1. a nonvenomous brown-and-grey North American colubrid snake Lampropeltis doliata, related to the king snakes

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Etymology

Origin of milk snake

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800; so called because they were said to suck milk from cows

Compare meaning

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

• king snake vs. milk snake

Example Sentences

So it handed over the Honduran milk snake to Slade’s care.

From Seattle Times

The two most prevalent are the common garter snake and milk snake.

From Washington Times

But after she and her husband caught the snake in a transparent container, an expert told them it was a non-venomous female milk snake common in Massachusetts.

From Washington Times

“Is that a milk snake?” a man asked about a colorful specimen.

From Washington Times

They included members of the northern watersnake, racer, milk snake and queen snake species.

From Seattle Times