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Glite Dictionary
Chelydra serpentina

Chelydra serpentina

9.6
A large fresh water turtle from North America with a strong hooked jaw
  • noun
  • /ˈkɛlɪdrə sɜrˈpɛntɪnə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Chelydra serpentina
  • A fully grown Chelydra serpentina can cause serious injury with its bite.

Examples

  • Researchers tracked several Chelydra serpentina to study their nesting behavior.

  • The Chelydra serpentina is infamous for its aggressive temperament when out of water.

  • The Chelydra serpentina is known for its aggressive behavior.

  • Have you ever seen a Chelydra serpentina in the wild?

  • A fully grown Chelydra serpentina can cause serious injury with its bite.

  • Researchers tracked several Chelydra serpentina to study their nesting behavior.

  • The Chelydra serpentina is infamous for its aggressive temperament when out of water.

Synonyms

snapping turtle
vsChelydra serpentina
  • US
3 5.4

A large freshwater animal with a strong jaw that can bite when frightened

is the exact species term rather than the common group name
snapper
vsChelydra serpentina
  • US
1 8.2

A large freshwater turtle with a broad head and strong jaws that can bite

refers specifically to the scientific species with the same hooked jaw feature
common snapping turtle
vsChelydra serpentina
  • US
4.2

A large freshwater turtle with a strong hooked jaw that bites when threatened

is the scientific species name for the same turtle

Surface Forms

Chelydra serpentina singular
Chelydra serpentinas plural

Morphology

Chelydra + serpentina

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) functioning as an arbitrary taxonomic label rather than a compositional English phrase. Even if a learner knew 'Chelydra' as a group of turtles and could guess something from 'serpentina', the specific meaning 'common snapping turtle' is not predictably derivable from the constituents, so a B1 learner would not reliably infer the MWE's sense from the parts alone.

Etymology

Chelydra serpentina may come from old Greek and Latin words for 'turtle' and 'snake-like'. The part Chelydra points to a turtle and serpentina to a snake-like neck, which fits the common snapping turtle with its long neck and strong hooked jaw.