venomous
/ˈvɛnəməs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.08 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of an animal (specifically a snake) or parts of its body: producing venom (“a toxin intended for defensive or offensive use”) which is usually injected into an enemy or prey by biting or stinging; hence, of a bite or sting: injecting venom.
adj
Of or pertaining to venom.
adj
Consisting of, or containing or full of, venom or some other poison; hence, harmful to health due to this.
Archaic
adj
Posing a threat; dangerous, threatening.
adj
Harmful, hurtful, injurious; specifically, morally or spiritually harmful; evil, noxious, pernicious.
Obsolete
Example Sentences
- "Do venomous spiders have glands?"
- "For that beaſtes teeth, vvhich vvounded you tofore, / Are ſo exceeding venemous and keene, / Made all of ruſty yron, ranckling ſore, / That vvhen they bite, it booteth not to vveene / VVith ſalue, or antidote, or other mene / It euer to amend: […]"
- "Haſt thou the pretty vvorme of Nylus [an asp] there, / That killes and paines not? / […] / Come thou mortal vvretch, / VVith thy ſharpe teeth this knot intrinſicate, / Of life at once vntye: Poore venomous Foole, / Be angry, and diſpatch."
- "[T]he biting of a Pike is venemous and hard to be cured."
- "[M]any, if not moſt of our European venemous Animals carry their Cure, as vvell as Poiſon in their ovvn Bodies. The Oil, and I doubt not, the Body of Scorpions too, is a certain Remedy againſt its Stroke."
- "VVith reſpect to the Salamander, the vvhole tribe, from the Moron to the Gekko, are ſaid to be venomous to the laſt degree; yet, vvhen experiments have been tried, no arts, no provocations, could excite theſe animals to the rage of biting."
Etymology
From Middle English venymous, from Old French venimos, composed of venim (“venom”) + -os (adjective-forming suffix). Synchronically analysable as venom + -ous. Compare Modern French venimeux. Piecewise doublet of venenous.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *wenh₁-, venymous, venimos
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈvɛnəməs/
- British English: /ˈvɛnəməs/