krait

[ krahyt ]

noun

1. any of several large, usually banded, placid but highly venomous snakes constituting the genus Bungarus, of the cobra family, common in southeastern Asia and the Malay Archipelago.

krait

/ kraɪt /

noun

1. any nonaggressive brightly coloured venomous elapid snake of the genus Bungarus, of S and SE Asia

Word History and Origins

Origin of krait¹

First recorded in 1870–75, krait is from the Hindi word karait

Word History and Origins

Origin of krait¹

C19: from Hindi karait, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

There are more than 400 species comprising a very diverse group of snakes such as mambas, cobras, kraits, taipans, tiger snakes, death adders, sea snakes and coral snakes.

From Science Daily

In the new work, the researchers isolated and compared venom proteins from a variety of elapids -- a major group of venomous snakes including mambas, cobras and kraits.

From Science Daily

Tamil Nadu has high numbers of four venomous snakes whose bites can seriously affect humans: the spectacled cobra, the Russell's viper, the saw-scaled viper and the common krait.

From Science Daily

Indian antivenom targets the “big four” species of venomous snakes in the region: the Indian cobra, the common krait, Russell's viper and the saw-scaled viper.

From Scientific American

As it writhed around in the humid air, he said it was a many-banded krait, a nocturnal species whose highly toxic venom targets the nervous system.

From New York Times