snake's head

English

Fritillaria meleagris, sense 1

Malacothrix coulteri, sense 2

Arum maculatum, sense 3

Alternative forms

• snake's-head, snakeshead, snakehead, snake-head

Etymology

From snake +‎ -'s +‎ head. An upright portion of each plant bears a checkered or overlapping pattern that resembles the appearance of snakeskin.

Noun

snake's head (plural snake's heads)

2. Fritillaria meleagris, a flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, native to Eurasia.

   Synonyms: snake's head fritillary, (UK) fritillary; see also Thesaurus:snake's head

   • 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros‎^[1], London: Jonathan Cape, page 3:

     Hangings of tapestry were behind the high seats, worked with flowers, snake’s-head, snapdragon, dragon-mouth, and their kind; and on the dado below the windows were sculptures of birds and beasts and creeping things.

4. Malacothrix coulteri, a plant in the family Asteraceae, native to North America.
6. Arum maculatum, a plant in the family Araceae, native to northern Europe.

   Synonyms: Jack-in-the-pulpit, cuckoopint; see also Thesaurus:Jack-in-the-pulpit

7. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see snake,‎ head.

Translations

Fritillaria meleagris

Malacothrix coulteri

Arum maculatum — see Jack-in-the-pulpit

References

• Fritillaria meleagris on WikipediaWikipedia ; Fritillaria meleagris on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Malacothrix coulteri on WikipediaWikipedia ; Malacothrix coulteri on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Arum maculatum on WikipediaWikipedia ; Arum maculatum on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• snakeheads