milk snake

American  

noun

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

---

milk snake British  

noun

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

---

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

See Examples For:

milk snake

It took some sleuthing, but they determined it was not a species prohibited in Oregon or Washington, and they further narrowed its identity to a Honduran milk snake.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2023

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

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2023

In Emsleyan/Mertensian mimicry, a deadly prey mimics a less dangerous one, such as the venomous coral snake mimicking the non-venomous milk snake.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

For this type of mimicry to work, it is essential that eating the milk snake has unpleasant but not fatal consequences.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Snakebite.—The scratches made by the little teeth of most snakes, such as the milk snake, garter snake, and black snake, do no more harm than the scratch of a pin.

From Health Lessons Book 1 by Alvin Davison

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---