co·bra

(kō′brə)

1. Any of various venomous elapid snakes, especially of the genus Naja, that are native to Asia and Africa and are capable of expanding the skin of the neck to form a flattened hood.

2. Leather made from the skin of one of these snakes.

[Short for Portuguese cobra (de capelo), snake (with a hood) : cobra, snake (from Old Portuguese coobra, from Vulgar Latin *colobra, variant of Latin colubra, of unknown origin) + de, of + capelo, hood.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cobra

(ˈkəʊbrə)

1. (Animals) any highly venomous elapid snake of the genus Naja, such as N. naja (Indian cobra), of tropical Africa and Asia. When alarmed they spread the skin of the neck region into a hood

2. (Animals) any related snake, such as the king cobra

[C19: from Portuguese cobra (de capello) snake (with a hood), from Latin colubra snake]

COBRA

(ˈkəʊbrə)

n acronym for

(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in the UK) Cabinet Office Briefing Room A: the civil contingencies committee that leads the UK's responses to crises such as terrorist attacks and epidemics

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

co•bra

(ˈkoʊ brə)

n., pl. -bras.

1. any venomous Old World elapid snake of the genera Naja and Ophiophagus, characterized by the ability to flatten the neck into a hood.

2. any of several related African snakes.

[1810–20; short for Portuguese cobra de capello hooded snake; cobra < Latin colubra snake]

co·bra

(kō′brə)

Any of several poisonous Asian or African snakes capable of spreading out the skin of the neck to form a flattened hood when excited.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cobra

- From Portuguese cobra de capello, "snake with hood"—based on Latin colubra, "snake."

See also related terms for hood.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

cobra - venomous Asiatic and African elapid snakes that can expand the skin of the neck into a hood

elapid, elapid snake - any of numerous venomous fanged snakes of warmer parts of both hemispheres

Indian cobra, Naja naja - a cobra of tropical Africa and Asia

Egyptian cobra, Naja haje, asp - cobra used by the Pharaohs as a symbol of their power over life and death

black-necked cobra, Naja nigricollis, spitting cobra - aggressive cobra widely distributed in Africa; rarely bites but spits venom that may cause blindness

king cobra, Naja hannah, Ophiophagus hannah, hamadryad - large cobra of southeastern Asia and the East Indies; the largest venomous snake; sometimes placed in genus Naja

Translations

صِل، أفْعى الكوبرا

kobra

brilleslangecobra

Kobra

κόμπρα

cobra

kobrasilmälasikäärme

cobra naja

kobra

gleraugnaslanga

kobra

kobra

cobra

[ˈkəʊbrə] N → cobra f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

cobra

[ˈkəʊbrə] n → cobra m

cobra

n → Kobra f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

cobra

[ˈkəʊbrə] n → cobra m inv

cobra

(ˈkəubrə) noun

a poisonous snake found in India and Africa.