blind snake
- noun
- /blaɪnd seɪk/
:
serpiente ciega
- The blind snake spends most of its life underground, feeding on ants and termites.
Examples
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The blind snake slithered through the sandy soil.
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Despite its name, the blind snake can sense light and dark through its tiny eyes.
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We found a small blind snake beneath a rock while digging in the garden.
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Have you ever seen a blind snake in the wild?
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The blind snake is often found underground, where it hunts for insects and worms.
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In warm regions, the blind snake can easily navigate through the soil with its smooth body.
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With its tiny, remnant eyes, the blind snake relies more on its sense of smell than sight.
Synonyms
103
5.4
A long thin tool used to clear clogs in pipes
A family of small, worm-like blind snakes that live underground
A group of very small thin blind snakes that live underground
A group of small thin blind snakes that live underground in Asia, Africa, and the Americas
A small, slender snake that lives underground in the western United States deserts and has very poor sight
A small thin snake that looks like a worm and lives under stones or logs
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'blind' (without sight) + 'snake' (a limbless reptile) yields a snake lacking functional eyesight. This straightforward noun compound follows common descriptive patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Blind snake is the name for a very small, worm-like snake that lives mostly under the ground and has very tiny eyes. Because it lives underground and seems to see very little, people called it 'blind', so the name today means a small snake with tiny eyes that burrows in the soil.