snake's-head

[sneyks-hed]

noun

1. checkered lily.

snake's head

noun

1. a European fritillary plant, Fritillaria meleagris, of damp meadows, having purple-and-white chequered flowers

Word History and Origins

Origin of snake's head¹

First recorded in 1730–40

Word History and Origins

Origin of snake's head¹

C19: so called because its buds are claimed to resemble a snake's head

Example Sentences

A snake’s-head on the old railroads was where a rail got loose from the fish-plate at one end and came up over the wheel instead of staying down under it.

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By these, but on the lower ground almost level with the water, big forget-me-nots, butterburs, and wild snake's-head lilies should be set, and all the crimson and white varieties of garden daisy.

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In Gloucestershire the fruit of the Arum maculatum is snake's-victuals, and snake's-head is a common name for thefritillary.

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