hoop snake

noun

1

chiefly South and Midland : a fabled snake of extremely venomous character that rolls itself up with its tail in its mouth to proceed at great speed in the manner of a hoop and destroys both animal and plant life with a sting in the end of its tail

2

: either of two harmless brightly colored burrowing colubrid snakes chiefly of the southeastern U.S.:

a

: a large snake (Farancia abacura) that is blue black above and largely red below and has a sharp nonvenomous spine at the end of its tail

called also horn snake

b

: rainbow snake

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!