snake doctor
- noun
- US
:
libélula
- The snake doctor is often seen near ponds, where it catches mosquitoes in mid-air.
Examples
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A snake doctor darted across the garden, its iridescent wings catching the afternoon light.
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A snake doctor landed on my fishing rod, its bright wings shimmering in the sunlight.
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Local children call the snake doctor a magical bug that follows snakes along the riverbank.
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Some believe that a snake doctor hovers nearby to heal injured snakes.
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Look at that snake doctor flying over the pond.
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Many people call the snake doctor a dragonfly.
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While hiking by the river, we spotted a snake doctor gliding gracefully above the water.
Synonyms
15
1.4
A fast insect with a long thin body and two pairs of clear wings held out when resting
1
6.8
A large slender insect with shiny wings that eats mosquitoes
A long thin insect with clear wings that eats mosquitoes near water
A slender flying insect with long body and clear wings often found near water
A slender insect with bright shiny wings that eats mosquitoes and small insects
A long thin insect with bright wings that eats mosquitoes and does not sting
Surface Forms
Morphology
snake + doctor
The meaning 'dragonfly' is not predictable from the literal constituents 'snake' (a reptile) and 'doctor' (a medical professional); a B1 learner who knows those words would not infer a slender, iridescent-winged insect. This is a regional, lexicalized name for an insect and is not a compositional or cross-linguistically transparent label, so its meaning is idiomatic and unpredictable.
Etymology
Snake doctor comes from old local stories. People saw dragonflies near snakes and imagined the little insect was a doctor helping the snake, so today snake doctor is a local name for 'dragonfly'.