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“asps”
aspine: asps, vipers, snakes
Pertaining to asps or vipers; of or pertaining to an asp; snaky.
They are part of the Viperidae family, that includes vipers, rattlesnakes, and moccasins.
This family contains about 180 species of medium-sized highly venomous snakes (Serpentes) and are typically terrestrial, nocturnal, feed on small mammals, and a few species are arboreal or fossorial [adapted for digging or burrowing].
They reproduce via oviparous or ovoviviparous.
Word Entries at Get Words:
“asps”
1. Any of several poisonous snakes of Egypt, Africa, and Europe and connecting countries whose bite is usually fatal or kills those who are bitten: An asp, or a cobra, was used by the Pharaohs of Egypt as a symbol of their power over life and death.
It is believed by some that Cleopatra was bitten several times by an asp when she committed suicide.
2. Etymology: from old French aspe, "asp"; or directly from Latin aspidem, aspis which came from Greek aspis, "an asp, a snake".
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English Words in Action, Group A
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