ophidian

[oh-fid-ee-uh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ophidian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the suborder Ophidia (Serpentes), comprising the snakes.

noun

a snake.

Origin of ophidian

1820–30; < New Latin Ophidi(a) (plural) name of the suborder (< Greek ophídion (singular), equivalent to óph(is) serpent + -idion diminutive suffix) + -an

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

Related Words for ophidian

snake, viper, serpentine, reptant, serpentiform, basilisk, dragon

Examples from the Web for ophidian

Historical Examples of ophidian

The Ophidian skull is also noticeable for the absence of the jugals and quadratojugals.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
The Myriapods symbolize in a striking manner the Ophidian reptiles.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)
William Kirby
Most of the Ophidian Reptiles are oviparous, but many are ovo-viviparous.
Reptiles and Birds
Louis Figuier
A minute before the comparison was ophidian, now it was feline.
The Tigress
Anne Warner
His thoughts, thus drawn to Shaw, dwelt on that ophidian personality.
The Girl in the Mirror
Elizabeth Garver Jordan

British Dictionary definitions for ophidian

ophidian

adjective

snakelike

of, relating to, or belonging to the Ophidia, a suborder of reptiles that comprises the snakes

noun

any reptile of the suborder Ophidia; a snake

Word Origin for ophidian

C19: from New Latin Ophidia name of suborder, from Greek ophidion, from ophis snake

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

Word Origin and History for ophidian

adj.

"pertaining to snakes," 1883, from Greek ophidion, diminutive of ophis "serpent" (see ophio-). Hence, ophiolatry "serpent-worship" (1862), and the 2c. sect of the Ophitæ, who revered the serpent as the symbol of divine wisdom.

ophidian in Science

ophidian

[ō-fĭd′ē-ən]

A member of the suborder Ophidia or Serpentes; a snake.