Naja hannah
- noun
- /ˈnɑːdʒə ˈhænə/
- Specialized
- The Naja hannah, also known as the king cobra, can grow up to 5.5 meters long.
Examples
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The habitat of the Naja hannah includes forests and plains across Southeast Asia.
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Snake handlers are particularly cautious when dealing with the venomous Naja hannah.
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The Naja hannah is one of the most feared snakes in the world.
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I saw a Naja hannah at the zoo last weekend.
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The Naja hannah, or king cobra, is known for its aggressive behavior and potent venom.
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In the jungle, it is common to encounter the Naja hannah slithering through the underbrush.
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Zoologists study the Naja hannah to better understand its role in the ecosystem.
Synonyms
A very large snake from Southeast Asia with deadly venom and a hood
A very large venomous snake from southeast Asia that often eats other snakes
A very large snake with dangerous venom found in South and Southeast Asia
A large venomous snake from Asia that eats other snakes and is the king cobra
Surface Forms
Morphology
Naja + hannah
This is a Latin binomial (taxonomic) proper name: the species identity 'king cobra' is an arbitrary label rather than a compositional meaning built from the parts. Knowing 'Naja' might cue 'snake' to a knowledgeable learner, but 'hannah' has no dictionary meaning and the full species meaning is not derivable from the constituents, so it would be opaque to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Naja hannah may come from the old word Naja meaning 'cobra' and a local name hannah used in parts of Southeast Asia. So the name paints a picture of a large, powerful cobra and is used for the big, venomous snake we call the king cobra.