Search the Dictionary

Any reptile of the order Ophidia; a snake, especially a large snake. See Illust. under Ophidia.

The fibrous aromatic root of the Virginia snakeroot (Aristolochia Serpentaria).

served my God with half the zeal I served my king, he would not in mine age Have left me naked to mine enemies. Shak.

ular. See Shears. On his head came razor none, nor shear. Chaucer. Short of the wool, and naked from the shear. Dryden.

Any species of small burrowing snakes of the family Uropeltidæ, native of Ceylon and Southern Asia. They have a small mouth which can not be dilated.

s out a bud. They shoot out the lip, they shake the head. Ps. xxii. 7. Beware the secret snake that shoots a sting. Dryden.

ntana and Idaho into Mexico. In a restricted sense the name is applied especially to the Snakes, the most northern of the tribes.

e, and therefore to constitute a simple remedy. What virtue is in this remedy lies in the naked simple itself as it comes over from the Indies. Sir W. Temple.

ort branch, or a sharp or rough branch; a knot; a protuberance. The coat of arms Now on a naked snag in triumph borne. Dryden.

Having the qualities or characteristics of a snake; snaky.

Of or pertaining to a snake or snakes; resembling a snake; serpentine; winding. The red light playing upon its gilt and carving gave it an appearance of snaky life. L. Wallace.

er of serpents including those which have tubular erectile fangs, as the viper and rattlesnake. See Fang.

Having the eyes surrounded by color markings, or patches of naked skin, resembling spectacles. Spectacled bear (Zoöl.), a South American bear (Tremarclos ornatus) which inhabits the high mountains of Chili and Peru. It has a light-colored ring around each eye. -- Spectacled coot, or Spectacled duck (Zoöl.), the surf s…

Having the tail quills ending in sharp, naked tips. Spine- tailed swift. (Zoöl.) See Spinetail (a).

Animated or possessed by a spirit. [Obs.] "So talked the spirited, sly snake." Milton.

Of a spiral form; wreathed; curled; serpentine. Hid in the spiry volumes of the snake. Dryden.

Having a forked tongue, as that of snakes and some lizards.

s, stark mind. Shak. Held him strangled in his arms till he was stark dead. Fuller. Stark naked, wholly naked; quite bare. Strip your sword stark naked. Shak.

To perish or die with cold. Spenser. Have I seen the naked starve for cold Sandys. Starving with cold as well as hunger. W. Irving.

with a large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice. Dryden. We had on each side naked rocks and mountains broken into a thousand irregular steeps and precipices. Addison. Bare steeps, where desolation stalks. Wordsworth.