cottonmouth

[ kot-n-mouth ]

noun

, plural cot·ton·mouths [kot, -n-mouths, -mou, th, z].

1. a venomous snake, Agkistrodon ( Ancistrodon ) piscivorus, of swamps in southeastern U.S., that grows to about 4 feet (1.2 meters).

cottonmouth

/ ˈkɒtənˌmaʊθ /

noun

1. another name for the water moccasin

Word History and Origins

Origin of cottonmouth¹

1825–35, Americanism; cotton + mouth, so called from the whiteness of its lips and mouth

Example Sentences

And the previous homeowners had found venomous snakes on the property, including a cottonmouth coiled by the pool.

From Scientific American

They can even handle the bite from venomous snakes such as cottonmouths, timber rattlesnakes and copperheads.

From Washington Post

A rattlesnake often warned a body before it struck, but a cottonmouth might attack before folks even knew it was there.

From Literature

The world hosts hundreds of wildly different venomous snake species, from brightly banded coral snakes to camouflaged cottonmouths.

From Scientific American

Snakes from a wide variety of habitats and ecological roles — including close relatives of the sidewinder rattlesnake, such as cottonmouths or diamondback rattlesnakes — have these prominent spikes on their bellies.

From New York Times