diamondback

[ dahy-muhnd-bak, dahy-uh- ]

adjective

1. bearing diamond-shaped marks, designs, or configurations on the back.

noun

1. diamondback rattlesnake.
2. diamondback terrapin.
3. diamondback moth.

diamondback

/ ˈdaɪəməndˌbæk /

noun

1. Also calleddiamondback terrapindiamondback turtle any edible North American terrapin of the genus Malaclemys, esp M. terrapin, occurring in brackish and tidal waters and having diamond-shaped markings on the shell: family Emydidae
2. a large North American rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus, having cream-and-grey diamond-shaped markings

Word History and Origins

Origin of diamondback¹

First recorded in 1810–20; diamond + back ¹

Example Sentences

The woman placed a box next to the home’s front door Monday evening when the eastern diamondback snake jumped out and bit her, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

From Seattle Times

There actually were 20 snakes — five adult western diamondback rattlers and 15 babies.

From Seattle Times

State law restricts possession of the speckled rattlesnake, as well as the Uganda puff adders, the Western diamondback and other snakes Sneddon sold, according to federal prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times

Researchers subjected the skeletal remains of pond sliders, diamondback terrapins, painted turtles and box turtles to incremental increases in mechanical forces and measured where and how the shells began to buckle.

From New York Times

He didn’t have time to pull back before the object, a four-and-a-half-foot diamondback rattlesnake, bit him on his wrist.

From New York Times