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lined snake

lined snake

9.9
A small shy snake with stripes that lives in grass and parks in the central United States
  • noun
  • /laɪnd sneɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : serpiente rayada
  • The lined snake is often overlooked because of its small size and secretive habits.

Examples

  • We saw a lined snake slithering near the edge of the park after a rainstorm.

  • Researchers discovered that the lined snake primarily feeds on earthworms in grassy areas.

  • The lined snake is often found in urban areas.

  • Have you ever seen a lined snake in the wild?

  • The lined snake is often overlooked because of its small size and secretive habits.

  • Researchers discovered that the lined snake primarily feeds on earthworms in grassy areas.

  • We saw a lined snake slithering near the edge of the park after a rainstorm.

Synonyms

Tropidoclonion lineatum
vslined snake
  • Specialized
9.9

A small shy snake from central United States that eats earthworms

is the common name used in general speech rather than the formal label

Surface Forms

lined snake singular
lined snakes plural

Morphology

lined + snake

The name is compositional: 'lined' describes a surface patterned with parallel lines and 'snake' denotes the reptile, so the phrase straightforwardly refers to a snake with lines/stripes. This descriptive, appearance-based naming is cross-linguistically common and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Lined snake is named for the thin dark lines along the animal's body. lined means 'striped' and snake means the animal, so the name gives a simple picture of a small, secretive striped snake you might see in grass or near a park.