Anaconda

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌænəˈkɒndə/

Definitions

1. A large, heavy-bodied constrictor inhabiting South American wetlands that kills prey by suffocation and can exceed twenty feet in length
2. A sizable snake from tropical areas, primarily in South America, known for its method of capturing and suffocating prey through constriction and is one of the longest snakes in the world
3. A giant, non-venomous serpent native to marshy regions of South America, recognized for its ability to overpower prey by wrapping around it tightly and reaching lengths beyond twenty feet

Etymology: The snake's name may have been born from a mix-up. Sinhalese speakers in Sri Lanka used "henakandaya," meaning "whip snake," a name built from words for "lightning" and "stem" or "body." Some accounts instead trace the name to Tamil "aanaikkontraan," meaning "having killed an elephant," from words for "elephant" and "killed." Either way, the name reached European naturalists as a Latinized form, "anacandaia," used for a Sri Lankan constrictor that was described as a kind of python. The Latin label then drifted across the Atlantic. The name became attached to the giant constrictors of South America, which are a different group of snakes from the Sri Lankan original. Naturalists and travelers working in the tropical Americas adopted it for these large water-dwelling snakes, and the English word followed that usage. The Sri Lankan snake that gave the name its start is now known by other names, so the word's first home and its modern home are separated by an ocean and a change of species.

Synonyms: snake