Amphisbene

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A legendary two-headed serpent from ancient mythology, supposedly capable of moving in either direction with equal facility
2. In classical myth, a serpent creature possessing heads at both ends of its body and able to travel forward or backward with equal ease
3. A fantastical serpent from ancient lore that had a head at each extremity, allowing it to move in either direction along its length

Etymology: In Lucan's epic poem "Pharsalia," the Roman poet describes the serpents that tormented Cato's army in the Libyan desert, and among them is a creature with a head at each end of its body. Greek had already named it "amphisbaina," from "amphis," meaning "both ways," and "bainein," meaning "to go," since the belief was that it could crawl equally well forwards or backwards. Latin took the name as "amphisbaena," and it reached English through that Latin form. The spelling "amphisbene" is a variant of the same word, with the final vowel altered. Its meaning has stayed fixed to the mythical two-headed serpent, though the name was later applied to the real worm lizards of the family Amphisbaenidae, which are legless burrowing reptiles. Those animals do not have heads at both ends. They earned the name through the ancient legend, not through their anatomy.

Synonyms: amphisbaena