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Definition of forest cobra
forest cobra
Plural:forest cobras
forest cobra Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
8
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A large, highly venomous snake native to the forests and woodlands of central and western Africa, recognized as the longest true species of cobra and characterized by its ability to climb trees and swim.
Example
"During the expedition in the Congo Basin, the herpetologist carefully documented the hunting habits of the forest cobra."
Word Origin & Etymology
A descriptive compound name formed from its primary habitat (the African forest) and 'cobra', which derives from the Portuguese 'cobra de capelo' (snake with a hood), tracing back to the Latin 'colubra' (snake).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Forest cobra. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/forest cobra