water moccasin

noun

1
: a venomous semiaquatic pit viper (Agkistrodon piscivorus) chiefly of the southeastern U.S. that is closely related to the copperhead

called also cottonmouth, cottonmouth moccasin

2
: a harmless American colubrid water snake (genus Nerodia) resembling the true water moccasin

Illustration of water moccasin

Illustration of water moccasin
  • water moccasin 1

Examples of water moccasin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The terms cottonmouth and water moccasin for this species are synonymous. Cole Sikes Communications and Marketing Specialist Alabama Cooperative Extension System, al, 25 Apr. 2023 Your party persona is reborn as that of an eel, a water moccasin, an otter, a seal, a gator. Guy Martin, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022 Many of these are naturally mistaken for the cottonmouth, or water moccasin, a venomous species that lives in and around the water. Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 15 Aug. 2022 During a night shoot in the water, the cast and crew relocated after the water moccasin attack. Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 12 July 2022 There are four venomous snakes in Texas: coral snakes, copperheads, water moccasins (a.k.a. Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 8 June 2020 Alligators and water moccasins live in the tangled woods to the left. Richard Conniff, National Geographic, 20 Sep. 2019 Those that are venomous include the diamondback rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, pigmy rattlesnake, the copperhead, and cottonmouth or water moccasin. Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, 10 July 2019 Bears, panthers, countless alligators, and aggressive water moccasins share the same swamp water that floods the trail. Eric Barton, Outside Online, 10 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'water moccasin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of water moccasin was circa 1821

Dictionary Entries Near water moccasin

Cite this Entry

“Water moccasin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20moccasin. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

water moccasin

noun
: a poisonous pit viper of the southern U.S. that is closely related to the copperhead

called also cottonmouth, cottonmouth moccasin

Medical Definition

water moccasin

noun
water moc·​ca·​sin -ˌmäk-ə-sən How to pronounce water moccasin (audio)
: a venomous semiaquatic pit viper (Agkistrodon piscivorus) of the southern United States closely related to the copperhead

called also cottonmouth, cottonmouth moccasin

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