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# rattlesnake

«rattlesnake» in Mova's school dictionary: **A poisonous (venomous) snake of North and South America…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a rattlesnake, rattlesnakes; informal: rattler)

### meaning for a pupil

A poisonous (venomous) snake of North and South America that has a rattle at the end of its tail made of hard rings, which it shakes to make a buzzing warning noise. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

In science, the rattle is a warning signal and an adaptation: it tells bigger animals to stay away. Rattlesnakes are pit vipers that sense heat. In outdoor safety lessons in the USA, Canada and Mexico: stay on paths, watch where you put hands and feet, don't reach under rocks or logs; if you hear a rattle, freeze, find the snake, and back away slowly; if bitten, keep still and calm and get emergency help — don't cut or suck the wound. Phrases: rattlesnake bite, a rattler, shake its rattle.

### examples

- The rattlesnake shook its tail to warn us. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/#x1)
- If you hear a rattlesnake, back away slowly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/#x2)
- Rattlesnakes live in deserts and grasslands in America. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/#x3)
- Watch where you step on desert trails — rattlesnakes hide under rocks. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/#x4)
- A rattlesnake bite needs a doctor straight away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/#x5)
- The rattle is made of hard rings, like your fingernails. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/#x6)
- Baby rattlesnakes are venomous too. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/#x7)

### note

One word: rattlesnake. There are no wild rattlesnakes in the UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand (Australia has other venomous snakes). Snakes are venomous (poison injected by a bite), which is the correct word, though people often say «poisonous».

### In the corpora

- [Pit vipers such as rattlesnakes have heat-sensing pits on their faces that find warm-blooded prey in total darkness.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/30-snakes-and-lizards/10/)
- [Cobras, mambas, vipers and rattlesnakes are the famous ones.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/322-snakes-to-keep-away-from-cobras-mambas-vipers-and-rattlesnakes/1/)
- [Rattlesnakes live in Arizona, Texas and many other parts of the USA, and they do not always rattle before they strike.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/25-snakes-spiders-and-scorpions/9/)
- [Some snakes, such as rattlesnakes, can sense the heat given off by warm animals.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/79-senses-of-animals/14/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «rattlesnake» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rattlesnake/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.