Definition
A large genus of nonvenomous snakes found across the Northern Hemisphere, including rat snakes and whip snakes.
Etymology
From New Latin elaphe, derived from Greek elaphē meaning 'deer,' named perhaps for the snake's grace or size. Later naturalists formalized it as a genus name in taxonomy.
Kelly Says
It's wild that a snake genus is named after deer—ancient Greeks must have thought these elegant snakes moved with deer-like grace, and that poetic observation became stuck in scientific Latin forever!
Translations
ARالعربية
ثعبان
th'a-baan
CACatalà
elaphe
eh-la-feh
CSČeština
elaphe
eh-la-feh
DEDeutsch
Elaphe
eh-LAH-fuh
ELΕλληνικά
ελάφος
eh-laf-os
ESEspañol
eláfido
eh-la-FEE-doh
FRFrançais
elaphe
eh-la-f
HUMagyar
elaphe
eh-la-feh
IDBahasa Indonesia
ular
oo-lar
ITItaliano
elafide
eh-la-FEE-deh
MSBahasa Melayu
ular
oo-lar
NLNederlands
elaphe
eh-la-feh
PLPolski
elaphe
eh-la-feh
PTPortuguês
eláfido
eh-la-FEE-doh
RORomână
elaphe
eh-la-feh
RUРусский
Эла́па
eh-LAH-pah
SVSvenska
elaphe
eh-la-feh
SWKiswahili
nyoka
nyoh-kah
TRTürkçe
elaphe
eh-la-feh
UKУкраїнська
Елапа
ye-la-pa
ZUZU
inkanyamba
in-kan-yam-ba