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Glite Dictionary
Western diamondback

Western diamondback

7.8
A large venomous rattlesnake with diamond-shaped marks on its back from the United States and Mexico
  • noun
  • /ˈwɛstərn ˈdaɪməndbæk/
  • US
translation icon : serpiente de cascabel de diamante occidental
  • During our hike, we encountered a western diamondback sunning itself on a rock.
  • Western diamondback rattlesnake

Examples

  • The western diamondback rattlesnake is known for its distinctive diamond patterns and potent venom.

  • This... this western diamondback rattlesnake is very, very venomous.

    Jackass Forever (2022)

  • He's got a western diamondback rattlesnake.

    Jackass Forever (2022)

  • Frames from a high-speed digital video sequence of a western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) striking a mouse.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The zookeeper carefully handled the western diamondback while demonstrating its unique characteristics.

Synonyms

Western diamondback rattlesnake
vsWestern diamondback
  • US
8.9

A large snake that has venom, a rattle, and diamond markings that lives in the US Southwest and Mexico

is the common-name form that omits the explicit animal type
Crotalus atrox
vsWestern diamondback
  • Specialized
9.9

A large venomous rattlesnake that lives in the southwestern United States and Mexico

is the everyday common-name form rather than the Latin label

Surface Forms

Western diamondback singular
Western diamondbacks plural

Morphology

western + diamondback

The compound is a straightforward modifier + noun: 'western' specifies the geographic variety of a 'diamondback' (a rattlesnake with diamond-shaped back markings). The overall meaning — the western variety of the diamondback rattlesnake — is directly derivable from the constituents and follows a common, cross-linguistic compositional pattern, so a learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Western diamondback comes from the snake's dark, diamond-shaped marks along its back and the fact that it lives in the 'west'. Because the pattern and the place are so clear, the name helps you picture what this large, venomous rattlesnake looks like and where it lives.