Agkistrodon
|ag-kis-tro-don|
🇺🇸
/æɡˈkɪstrəˌdɑn/
🇬🇧
/æɡˈkɪstrəˌdɒn/
hook-tooth; pit viper genus
Etymology
'Agkistrodon' originates from Modern Latin used in taxonomy, ultimately from Ancient Greek: specifically the words 'agkistron' and 'odous', where 'agkistron' meant 'fish-hook' or 'hook' and 'odous' (gen. 'odont-') meant 'tooth'.
'Agkistron' + 'odous' were combined in 19th-century taxonomic Latin to coin the genus name 'Agkistrodon', which became the standard scientific name for this group of pit vipers.
Initially the components literally conveyed 'hook-tooth' (describing the shape/position of the fangs); over time the compound became fixed as the formal genus name for certain pit vipers.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of venomous pit vipers in the family Viperidae, native to North and Central America (includes species commonly called cottonmouths and copperheads).
Agkistrodon is a genus of venomous pit vipers native to North and Central America.
Noun 2
a member snake of the genus Agkistrodon (used when referring to an individual animal).
The biologist observed an Agkistrodon basking on the riverbank.
Last updated: 2025/10/08 17:54