rattlesnake

[ rat-l-sneyk ]

/ ˈræt lˌsneɪk /

noun

any of several New World pit vipers of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus, having a rattle composed of a series of horny, interlocking elements at the end of the tail.

Nearby words

Origin of rattlesnake

An Americanism dating back to 1620–30; rattle¹ + snake

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

Examples from the Web for rattlesnakes

Then solemnly: Because the rattlesnakes dont kill em, an no one knows wherefore.
The Sunset Trail|Alfred Henry Lewis
Rattlesnakes and copperheads were formerly common in the south.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 4|Various
Capt Clark was very near being bitten twice today by rattlesnakes, the Indian woman also narrowly escaped.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark|Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Certain it is that there are owls that visit them, also rattlesnakes, but for what reason is a matter of dispute.
The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. IV|Various

"Only don't take the child among the rattlesnakes," said Mrs. Sandford.
Daisy|Elizabeth Wetherell

British Dictionary definitions for rattlesnakes

rattlesnake

/ (ˈrætəlˌsneɪk) /

noun

any of the venomous New World snakes constituting the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus, such as C. horridus (black or timber rattlesnake): family Crotalidae (pit vipers). They have a series of loose horny segments on the tail that are vibrated to produce a buzzing or whirring sound

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 rattlesnakes

rattlesnake

1620s, from rattle + snake (n.).