Added 10 October 2026
cobra
/ˈkəʊbɹə/ noun
Latin root: colubra Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cobra at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Any of the genus Naja of venomous snakes that can spread their neck ribs into a broad hood when threatened; a true cobra.
- Certain other snakes of the family Elapidae. A ring-necked spitting cobra or rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus). A king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah). A tree cobra (genus Pseudohaje). A shield-nosed cobra/coral cobra (genus Aspidelaps). A black desert cobra (genus Walterinnesia). An American cobra (Micrurus fulvius).
- A ring-necked spitting cobra or rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus).
Origin
Borrowed from Portuguese cobra, from Latin colubra (“a female snake”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)