couleuvre

French

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *colŏbra, altered from Classical Latin colubra, feminine counterpart to coluber (“snake”), of uncertain origin. Doublet of cobra, a borrowing from Portuguese.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ku.lœvʁ/

• Audio:

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• Audio (Paris):

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Noun

couleuvre f (plural couleuvres)

1. (obsolete) serpent

   Synonym: serpent

2. grass snake, garter snake

Derived terms

• couleuvre à collier
• couleuvre d’Esculape

Further reading

• “couleuvre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.