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Glite Dictionary
cottonmouth

cottonmouth

4 9.9
A dangerous water snake with a bright white mouth that lives in southern US swamps
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑtənˌmaʊθ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : serpiente de algodón
  • The cottonmouth raised her head as our heated scent crossed her flicking tongue.
  • cottonmouth moccasin
  • cottonmouth snake
  • poisonous cottonmouth

We have the cottonmouth and we have the coral snake and we have the pygmy rattlesnake, the smallest, the biggest.

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Examples

  • Resistant to the venom of pit vipers, they readily eat copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes.

    Blog text (12)

  • Lonnie was in the woods hunting with his brother, and he stepped on a cottonmouth.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The water's surface corkscrews where a cottonmouth just passed.

    Academic text (2009)

  • We had seen two big cottonmouths slide off a log and into the creek.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • In the dirt lay the cottonmouth's head, too torn to be a trophy.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • "Cottonmouth!" I said aloud, stepping back and feeling the sweat pop out on my brow.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "That's a cottonmouth."

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Well, now, sir, theses wasn't just your ordinary snakes... these was cottonmouths.

    Hoot (2006)

  • The cottonmouth is a venomous snake that often resides near swamps and rivers in the southern U.S.

  • While hiking near the water, we spotted a cottonmouth coiled up on a sunlit rock.

Synonyms

water moccasin
vscottonmouth
  • US
3 9.1

A large venomous North American snake that lives near fresh water like swamps and streams

is the species native specifically to the southern United States
cottonmouth moccasin
vscottonmouth
  • Specialized
9.9

A venomous water snake in southern US swamps with white inside its mouth

is the general species term without mentioning the distinctive white mouth or bite
Agkistrodon piscivorus
vscottonmouth
  • Specialized
9.9

A venomous water snake that lives in southern United States swamps, called the cottonmouth

is the common descriptive name used in everyday language

Compounds

cottonmouth moccasin
  • Specialized
9.9

A venomous water snake in southern US swamps with white inside its mouth

Surface Forms

cottonmouth singular
cottonmouths plural

Morphology

cottonmouth = cotton + mouth (opaque) = cotton + mouth

Although built from 'cotton' + 'mouth', the compound is a conventional name for a snake and learners cannot deduce 'snake' from the parts alone.

Etymology

Cottonmouth comes from the snake's bright white mouth — cotton for the fabric's 'white' colour and mouth for the snake's mouth. Because the snake often opens that white mouth as a clear warning, the name helps you remember this dangerous, venomous snake found in southern US swamps.