rainbow snake

American

noun

a burrowing snake, Farancia erytrogramma, of the southeastern U.S., having red and black stripes along the body, a red and yellow underside, and a sharp-tipped tail used in maneuvering prey.

Etymology

Origin of rainbow snake

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A rare rainbow snake was spotted slithering through a Florida forest last week, marking the first time in 50 years the multicolored serpent has been seen in the area, experts said.

From Fox News • Feb. 24, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023