Wordwyrt

snake

/sˈneɪk/SNAYK
/sˈneɪk/SNAYK

Meaninga creeping thing

Common meaning: a legless reptile

Journey through time

  1. Old EnglishsnacasourceB&T
  2. Middle Englishsnakesource
  3. Englishsnake‘a legless reptile’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English snaca ‘a creeping thing’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Concise Etymological Dictionary (1911), entry SNAIL, p. 496 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • snaca Old English “a creeping thing”

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