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Definition of sunbeam snake
sunbeam snake
Plural:sunbeam snakes
sunbeam snake Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
8
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A non-venomous, burrowing snake native to Southeast Asia, belonging to the family Xenopeltidae, characterized by highly polished, smooth scales that exhibit striking rainbow iridescence under light.
Example
"The sunbeam snake spends most of its time hidden underground, only occasionally emerging to display the spectacular, iridescent sheen of its scales."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for sunbeam snakeWord Origin & Etymology
Named for the highly iridescent, polished nature of its scales, which strongly refract light to create a spectacular rainbow effect similar to a sunbeam.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Sunbeam snake. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/sunbeam snake