anaconda

¹

[ an-uh-kon-duh ]

noun

1. a South American boa, Eunectes murinus, that often grows to a length of more than 25 feet (7.6 meters).
2. any large boa.
3. Cards. a variety of poker in which each player is dealt seven cards, discards two, and turns up one of the remaining five before each betting round.

Anaconda

²

[ an-uh-kon-duh ]

noun

1. a city in SW Montana.

anaconda

/ ˌænəˈkɒndə /

noun

1. a very large nonvenomous arboreal and semiaquatic snake, Eunectes murinus, of tropical South America, which kills its prey by constriction: family Boidae (boas)

Word History and Origins

Origin of anaconda¹

1760–70; misapplication of a name originally used for a snake of Sri Lanka; earlier anacandaia < Sinhalese henakandayā kind of snake

Word History and Origins

Origin of anaconda¹

C18: probably changed from Sinhalese henakandayā whip snake, from hena lightning + kanda stem; originally referring to a snake of Sri Lanka

Example Sentences

Karine Aigner spotted a yellow anaconda coiled around the snout of a yacaré caiman while leading a tour group.

From BBC

The Trinidadian-born rapper is best known for her hits “Super Freaky Girl,” “Anaconda” and “Starships.”

From Seattle Times

“Half elephant, half anaconda,” he says, like I should know.

From Literature

“It’s very frustrating because I’m here in Montana trying to organize this search,” Ms. Keltgen, who runs a petting zoo in Anaconda, Mont., said in an interview on Saturday.

From New York Times

The owner was moving the animals from Winlock, in Lewis County, Washington, to Anaconda, Montana, when she stopped near Exit 32 on Interstate 90, to fix a problem with the trailer, according to Regional Animal Services.

From Seattle Times