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Glite Dictionary
genus Aspis

genus Aspis

9.9
A group of venomous snakes with small horns found in parts of Europe and Africa
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɛnəs ˈæspɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Aspis
  • The genus Aspis includes several species of horned vipers found in the Mediterranean regions.

Examples

  • Biologists study the venom of snakes in the genus Aspis for potential medical uses.

  • The sand viper is one representative of the genus Aspis.

  • The genus Aspis includes several species of venomous snakes.

  • Did you know that the genus Aspis is found in Africa?

  • Biologists study the venom of snakes in the genus Aspis for potential medical uses.

  • The genus Aspis includes several species of horned vipers found in the Mediterranean regions.

  • The sand viper is one representative of the genus Aspis.

Surface Forms

genus Aspis singular
genera Aspis plural

Morphology

genus + aspis

This is a straightforward taxonomic combination: 'genus' (a biological rank) + 'Aspis' (a name referring to venomous snakes). A B1 learner who knows both constituents can directly infer it denotes the genus of snakes called Aspis, and taxonomic naming is a regular, compositional pattern across languages.

Etymology

Genus Aspis comes from the old word Aspis, which is related to 'asp', a venomous snake people knew long ago. Scientists used that snake name to label the whole group, so genus Aspis today means the group of horned vipers, or snakes with small horn-like scales.