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Glite Dictionary
ophidian

ophidian

1 9.9
A long reptile without legs, commonly known as a snake
  • noun
  • /əˈfɪd.i.ən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ofidio
  • The scientist discovered a new ophidian species in the rainforest.

Examples

  • His head swimming from the superpot, he stared wildly around the room, at silken overstuffed furniture, at Dallas's ophidian face.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The leap directly from water to air explained the lack of legs on the aerials and their consequent ophidian appearance.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I collected them as a kid, and I still deal with them as one of the handful of comparative psychologists who study ophidian behavior.

    Academic text (1993)

  • It is called Ophidioenderma because the first part of that word "ophidian" means like a lizard or snake.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • In the garden, I spotted an ophidian slithering across the path.

  • As they hiked through the desert, the group was cautious of any ophidian hidden among the rocks.

Synonyms

snake
vsophidian
427 1.0

A long animal without legs covered in scales that sometimes has poison

is the technical scientific term for that reptile
serpent
vsophidian
72 6.5

A large snake with scales that often appears in myths and stories

is the scientific biological term rather than a literary name

Surface Forms

ophidian singular
ophidians plural

Etymology

Ophidian comes from the Greek word ophis, which means 'snake'. So ophidian is a more formal, fancier word for a snake.