Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A venomous serpent of the southern United States, a species of moccasin or Trigonocephalus: so called from a white streak along the lips.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun venomous semiaquatic snake (Agkistrodon piscivorus) of swamps in southern U.S.; -- called also water moccasin, cottonmouth moccasin, and cottonmouth water moccasin. It grows to a length of about 4 feet. The name refers to the whiteness of the lips and inside of the mouth.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun medicine, uncountable An oral dryness often associated with certain medicines and recreational drugs.
  • noun A snake, Agkistrodon piscivorus, the water moccasin.
  • noun A snake, Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen, the northern copperhead.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun venomous semiaquatic snake of swamps in southern United States

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From the white interior of its mouth.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

cotton +‎ mouth

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Examples

  • Since I like trivia (and snakes), I learned how to tell a water snake from a poisonous water moccasin (also known as a cottonmouth).

    Archive 2005-05-01 2005

  • Wells said the snake looked like a cottonmouth, which is poisonous.

    Home 2010

  • Wells said the snake looked like a cottonmouth, which is poisonous.

    Las Vegas News - LasVegasNOW.com 2010

  • Wells said the snake looked like a cottonmouth, which is poisonous.

    Home 2010

  • Wells says the snake looked like a cottonmouth, which is poisonous.

    hattiesburgamerican.com - 2010

  • Wells said the snake looked like a cottonmouth, which is poisonous.

    WISTV - Local News RSS 2010

  • A Special Forces trainee found dead this summer during a land navigation exercise in North Carolina was bitten by a poisonous water moccasin, also known as a cottonmouth, according to the Army.

    clickorlando.com - Local News 2008

  • Spittle had by now coagulated at the corners of his mouth, and would stay gathered there in elastic foam for the rest of the day, like a cottonmouth snake.

    Working Title: "Third Persons" Glenn Klopfenstein 2011

  • They should never poke a cottonmouth lol or a RAM.

    Trijicon Trouble 2010

  • They should never poke a cottonmouth lol or a RAM.

    Trijicon Trouble 2010

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