snake

1. any reptile of the suborder Ophidia (or Serpentes), typically having a scaly cylindrical limbless body, fused eyelids, and a jaw modified for swallowing large prey: includes venomous forms such as cobras and rattlesnakes, large nonvenomous constrictors (boas and pythons), and small harmless types such as the grass snake

2. (in the European Union) a former system of managing a group of currencies by allowing the exchange rate of each of them only to fluctuate within narrow limits

3. a tool in the form of a long flexible wire for unblocking drains

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Snake

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

The Snake is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. It refers to one of the 12 earthly branches that are used in Chinese astrology, together with the 10 heavenly stems. Such a branch designates one day every 12 days: the days are named according to a sexagesimal (60) cycle, made of 10 series of 12 branches.

Attractive, smart, hateful of vulgarity, and sometimes narcissistic, the Snake has a disconcerting manner. Reserved and passive, he is a solitary person, but he fascinates. Elusive, he prefers to go around obstacles. Remarkably able to keep his composure, he is materialistic, very perceptive (sometimes visionary), and he makes an excellent organizer. He is also a generous, emotional, even fragile person who can prove to be very devoted, in spite of his apparent reserve. He often seems lazy until he finds his real goal in life.

—Michele Delemme

What does it mean when you dream about a snake?

Serpents are ancient symbols, often associated with goddesses of fertility. Because they live in the ground, serpents may represent the healing, nurturing earth; they can also symbolize knowledge. In some cultures in southern Asia, serpents symbolize primordial spiritual power. Alternatively, they may be emblems of the mysterious dangers of the underworld. The Christian tradition incorporated the latter meaning into its mythology, making snakes an embodiment of evil, particularly the evil of temptation (e.g., the snake in the Garden of Eden). For this reason, in Western cultures especially, snakes are images for people who are sneaky and deceptive. The cliche, “they behave like a snake in the grass,” captures this derogatory reference.

snake

[snāk]

(metallurgy)

A twisted and bent hod rod formed before subsequent rolling operations.

A flexible mandrel used to prevent collapse of a shaped piece during bending operations.

(vertebrate zoology)

Any of about 3000 species of reptiles which belong to the 13 living families composing the suborder Serpentes in the order Squamata.

snake

1. A long tempered-steel, resilient wire, usually having a rectangular cross section, used by electricians in pulling wires through conduit or through an inaccessible space; the snake is threaded through first, followed by the wire.

2. A tool used by plumbers to unblock a pipe or sanitary fitting; usually a highly flexible metal wire, given a rotary motion by a crank at one end.

Snake

(dreams)

In some cultures, snakes are highly regarded and symbolize the ability to transcend into higher levels of consciousness or into areas of knowledge that exist outside perceived time and space. In the pre-Christian days, snakes were considered symbols of fertility, healing, and nurturing (the healing serpent representing a god). Post Adam and Eve, snakes are often considered symbols of temptation and evil, anger, and envy. Snakes emerging out of the ground may represent your unconscious or repressed materials coming to your conscious mind. Freud thought that the snake was a phallic symbol. It is amazing how many people have snake dreams! Most snake dreams seem to be disturbing and they leave the dreamer feeling anxious and afraid. There are no simple interpretations to the snake dreams. Each dreamer must consider his own situation and all of the details of the dream. Sometimes snakes may be phallic symbols, and other times they represent negativity in our lives that hampers our progress and constantly threatens us. In the long run the snake may be a positive symbol; it may represent difficulties that lead us to the center of personality and result in feelings of completeness.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Snake

a river in the USA, a left tributary of the Columbia River. The Snake River measures approximately 1,670 km long and drains an area of 282,300 sq km. Originating in the Rocky Mountains, in Yellowstone National Park, it skirts the eastern edge of the Columbia Plateau, flowing in places through canyons that have a total length of approximately 400 km and measure as much as 800 m deep. It forms waterfalls, including Shoshone Falls (65 m high). The river is fed by snow and rain. High water lasts from April to June. The mean flow rate at Clarkston, near the mouth, is 1,390 cu m per sec.

The Snake River is navigable for small ships as far as the city of Lewiston. Hydroelectric power plants and reservoirs are located at various sites on the river, including American Falls. The river is used for irrigation. The cities of Idaho Falls and Twin Falls are located on the Snake River.

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References in periodicals archive

Searching for images of snakes, dragons and sea monsters is likely to be a first step, but with assistance they can then be helped to recognize serpentine shapes that do not depict snakelike animals.

Serpentine solutions. (Teaching art with Art)

The robot exhibition was a fascinating amalgamation of cutting-edge experimental robots such as a humanoid robot that extemporaneously danced to music, the first improvisational percussionist robot, a cuddly stuffed-animallike robot initially being used to study early childhood social development, an assistive robot that opens doors and elevators it has never seen before, and a snakelike articulated robot that climbed up willing attendees' legs (protective jeans required.)

AAAI-08 and IAAI-08 conferences provide focal point for AI

Name the non-native snakelike fish causing problems for fish native to the Great Lakes.

Knowledge bowl 5

Newcastle Civic Centre cuts a grand figure with its unusual tower, while the Byker Wall weaves its snakelike form around its village like a protective arm.

PICTURES TAKE US UP, UP AND HOWAY; The Chronicle brings you snapshots of some famous North East landmarks taken from high in the sky

Unsightly dryness and snakelike scaly skin are tell-tale signs that the harsh winter months have taken their toll.

Wake up your body; Emma Johnson looks at the best ways to prepare for the warmer days of spring

The black-and-white drawings marry the real with the spiritual--at one point the epilepsy is depicted as a snakelike demon, contorting its victim--to create a work that explores history, human relationships, and the meaning of art.

Seeding your graphic literature library

in the form of snakelike water dragons; some fierce and unpredictable, some more benign." The Lao called the spirits "ngeuak," but later learned another word for them, the Indian word "naga." "In Buddhist mythology," Stuart-Fox continues, "a great naga had protected the Buddha when he was meditating, and the Lao believe that nagas will continue to protect all those who practise the truth he taught." Three cities were seen as protected by the naga, Luang Phrabang in the north, Viang Chan (Vientaine) in the center, and Champasak in the south.

Steve Northup

His appearance on the See It Now programme of March 9, 1954 proved his self-destruction, but not before CBS came under extreme pressure from its sponsors and William Paley (a brilliantly snakelike Frank Langella) served warning on Murrow that forced to choose between controversy and advertising, there would be no choice.

Satisfyingly camp romp

Going upward, the road coiled snakelike, and Ileanna had to slow down.

Shooting snakes

When viewed in a very narrow slice of the spectrum centered on the 656.3-nanometer emission from hydrogen atoms, the Sun's face last February 19th revealed an active region (bright patch) surrounding a sunspot as well as long, dark, snakelike filaments.

Astrophotos from our readers

Several are worth mentioning here: 'India Short,' which resembles a large cucumber with nearly white skin; 'Extra Long Dancer,' which is about 4 inches in diameter and the most snakelike in appearance; 'White Glory,' a medium-long variety with white skin, and 'Baby,' a short, white-skinned variety recently developed by the College of Horticulture at the Kerala Agriculture University in India.

Snake gourd: let this showy, exotic vegetable take center stage in your garden and in your kitchen

The snapper (Chelydra serpentina; literally "snakelike swampbeast") prefers slow-moving water with a muddy bottom, but also inhabits rivers.

Canoeing in the Hudson: Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve