Definition of amphisbaena in English:
amphisbaena
nounˌamfɪsˈbiːnəˌæmfəsˈbinə
A mythical serpent with a head at each end.
Example sentencesExamples
- He slew 27 dragons, 15 amphisbaenas, and 3 sorceresses in whose invisible dungeons many knights errant were kept prisoner.
- The amphisbaena is supposed to be scary because it can bite you from both ends.
- Adventurers fighting an amphisbaena need to be doubly careful, since both heads are capable of attacking and even swallowing assailants with ease.
- Leonardo Da Vinci wrote accounts about the amphisbaena as a living creature, giving details on how the serpent caught rodents as prey by confusing it with its two heads.
- The Chichester Cathedral misericord of the amphisbaena is shown to be a memento mori by the surrounding carvings.
Origin
Late Middle English: via Latin from Greek amphisbaina, from amphis 'both ways' + bainein 'go'.
Definition of amphisbaena in US English:
amphisbaena
nounˌamfəsˈbēnəˌæmfəsˈbinə
A legendary serpent with a head at each end.
Example sentencesExamples
- The Chichester Cathedral misericord of the amphisbaena is shown to be a memento mori by the surrounding carvings.
- Leonardo Da Vinci wrote accounts about the amphisbaena as a living creature, giving details on how the serpent caught rodents as prey by confusing it with its two heads.
- He slew 27 dragons, 15 amphisbaenas, and 3 sorceresses in whose invisible dungeons many knights errant were kept prisoner.
- Adventurers fighting an amphisbaena need to be doubly careful, since both heads are capable of attacking and even swallowing assailants with ease.
- The amphisbaena is supposed to be scary because it can bite you from both ends.
Origin
Late Middle English: via Latin from Greek amphisbaina, from amphis ‘both ways’ + bainein ‘go’.