black mamba

English

Etymology

Predominantly the Zulu language iMamba

A black mamba

Noun

black mamba (plural black mambas)

1. A large venomous snake found in Africa, taxonomic name Dendroaspis polylepis. Despite the name, this species of snake is not black; its colour ranges widely from olive-brown, khaki or grey, sometimes to darker hues, especially when old. The inside of the mouth is black, but in spite of a recent urban legend there is no indication that that has anything to do with the name "black mamba", which is a much older usage than any such suggestion.

Translations

A large venomous snake

• Catalan: mamba negra f
• Finnish: mustamamba (fi)
• French: mamba noir (fr) m
• Russian: чёрная ма́мба f (čórnaja mámba)
• Swahili: songwe class 9/10 animate, mamba (sw)