night snake
- noun
- /naɪt sneɪk/
- US
:
serpiente nocturna
- Herpetologists conducted a study on the habitat of the night snake in Arizona.
Examples
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Look at that night snake!
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A night snake slithered quietly across the desert floor under the cover of darkness.
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The night snake is rarely seen during the day due to its nocturnal nature.
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I spotted a night snake in my backyard.
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The night snake is often found hiding under rocks during the hot daytime hours.
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Many hikers are surprised to learn about the night snake, a small creature that comes out after dark.
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Biologists studied the night snake to better understand its secretive behavior in the wild.
Synonyms
427
1.0
A long animal without legs covered in scales that sometimes has poison
A small snake that is active at night and eats lizards and frogs in the western United States and Mexico
A small night snake that lives in North and Central America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The expression is a simple noun-noun compound combining 'night' (the period of darkness) and 'snake' (a reptile), so its meaning — a snake active at night or a nocturnal snake — is directly derivable from the parts. This time + animal compositional pattern is common across languages and follows normal English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand it.
Etymology
Night snake comes from the animal's habit of being active at night. Picture a small snake sliding quietly under the stars, and you can see why the name means a small, 'active at night' and 'hidden' snake.