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Glite Dictionary
bullsnake

bullsnake

8.2
A large harmless North American snake that eats mice and rats and often lives in burrows
  • noun
  • /ˈbʊlˌsneɪk/
  • US
translation icon : serpiente toro
  • The bullsnake is known for its ability to mimic rattlesnakes to deter predators.

Examples

  • A big old bullsnake was sunning itself on the rocks there, and it coiled and hissed at me.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • While hiking in the desert, I spotted a bullsnake slithering through the sandy terrain.

  • Many farmers appreciate the presence of a bullsnake in their fields, as it helps control the rodent population.

Synonyms

gopher snake
vsbullsnake
  • US
1 7.0

A large North American snake that is not venomous and lives in burrows eating rodents

is a specific member within that broader group
bull snake
vsbullsnake
  • US
6.9

A large North American snake that eats rodents, lives in burrows, and is not venomous

is the same meaning but written as one word
Pituophis melanoleucus
vsbullsnake
  • Specialized
9.9

A large snake that is not poisonous and eats rodents

is the common everyday name for the same animal
Pituophis
vsbullsnake
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of large snakes from North America that are not poisonous, like gopher and bull snakes

is one individual species inside that taxonomic genus

Surface Forms

bullsnake singular
bullsnakes plural

Morphology

bullsnake = bull + snake (semi-transparent) = bull + snake

The components 'bull' and 'snake' are clear, but the specific meaning of a type of gopher snake is not directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Bullsnake comes from the simple parts bull and snake, where bull gives the idea of 'big' or 'strong'. That's a helpful way to remember a large North American snake, a kind of gopher snake, that hisses loudly and looks fierce but is harmless.