corn snake
1
6.0
- noun
- /kɔrn sneɪk/
- US
:
serpiente de maíz
- On the farm, we often spot a corn snake slithering through the grass looking for mice.
Examples
-
The two-headed corn snake
Fiction book (1996) -
The corn snake is known for its friendly behavior and reddish-orange coloring.
-
Many people enjoy keeping a corn snake as a pet because of its docile nature.
Synonyms
A large harmless snake from the southeastern United States often found on farms and kept as a pet
A large harmless reddish snake from the southern United States that lives on farms and in woods
How Big
16
5.6
- Specialized
3
3.9
- US
5
4.7
- US
1
6.0
- US
4
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
corn + snake
The meaning is directly compositional: combining 'corn' and 'snake' signals a type of snake associated with cornfields or farms, so a learner who knows both words can infer it's a snake related to that habitat. This straightforward noun-compound pattern is common cross-linguistically and does not require idiomatic knowledge or metaphorical extension.
Etymology
Corn snake got its name because farmers often found this snake in corn bins where it ate mice. One popular story says people also noticed its belly pattern looked like rows of corn kernels, so the name stuck and now means a snake commonly found on farms.