asp

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a venomous snake of North Africa traditionally identified with the cobra said to have killed Cleopatra

   The painting showed Cleopatra reaching calmly toward the asp.

2. 2
   noun

   the asp viper, a venomous snake native to southern Europe

   The hiker stepped back when an asp moved between the warm stones.

From Middle English aspe, through Latin aspis from Greek aspis, a name for a venomous snake and also a shield. Classical accounts associated the asp with Cleopatra's death, although the exact species is uncertain. The name is also used for the European asp viper, Vipera aspis.

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