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.

Origin of rattlesnake

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

Words nearby rattlesnake

rattlebrain, rattlebrained, rattlehead, rattlepate, rattler, rattlesnake, rattlesnake fern, rattlesnake flag, rattlesnake master, rattlesnake plantain, rattlesnake root

Example sentences from the Web for rattlesnake

British Dictionary definitions for rattlesnake

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