Elaphe obsoleta
- noun
- /ɪˈleɪfi ˌɑbˈsoʊlɪtə/
- Specialized
:
Elaphe obsoleta
- The Elaphe obsoleta is often found in forests and farmland across the eastern United States.
Examples
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My biology professor showed us a live Elaphe obsoleta during our herpetology class.
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Growing up, I was fascinated by the shiny black scales of the Elaphe obsoleta that lived near our home.
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I saw an Elaphe obsoleta in the garden.
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The Elaphe obsoleta is often mistaken for other snake species.
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The Elaphe obsoleta is a large, non-venomous snake commonly found in North America.
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I spotted a beautiful Elaphe obsoleta coiled around a tree branch during my hike.
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The Elaphe obsoleta has shiny black scales that help it blend into its environment.
Synonyms
1
5.3
A snake that is not poisonous and eats rats and mice
1
7.4
A large not dangerous black snake found in North America, like a racer or rat snake
A large shiny black snake from North America that is not venomous and eats rats and mice
A large harmless black snake in North America that eats rats
A large shiny black snake found in North American mountains that is harmless to people
A large harmless North American snake that eats birds and eggs
A snake that is not venomous and lives in North America and Eurasia and eats rats and mice
A group of snakes that are not poisonous, like rat snakes, found in North America and Eurasia
Surface Forms
Morphology
Elaphe + obsoleta
This is a Latin scientific binomial (genus + species) that functions as a taxonomic label rather than a compositional English phrase. The second element 'obsoleta' is not an English word (and its resemblance to 'obsolete' is misleading), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would not be able to infer the common meaning 'black rat snake'.
Etymology
Elaphe obsoleta is a scientific name from old languages: Elaphe may come from a Greek word for 'snake' and obsoleta is Latin for 'old' or 'worn out'. So the name gives the idea of a common, long-known black snake we now call the 'black rat snake'.