Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Garter \Gar"ter\, n. [OE. gartier, F. jarreti[`e]re, fr. OF. garet bend of the knee, F. jarret; akin to Sp. garra claw, Prov. garra leg. See Garrote.]
A band used to prevent a stocking from slipping down on the leg.
The distinguishing badge of the highest order of knighthood in Great Britain, called the Order of the Garter, instituted by Edward III.; also, the Order itself.
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(Her.) Same as Bendlet.
Garter fish (Zo["o]l.), a fish of the genus Lepidopus, having a long, flat body, like the blade of a sword; the scabbard fish.
Garter king-at-arms, the chief of the official heralds of England, king-at-arms to the Order of the Garter; -- often abbreviated to Garter.
Garter snake (Zo["o]l.), one of several harmless American snakes of the genus Eut[ae]nia, of several species (esp. E. saurita and E. sirtalis); one of the striped snakes; -- so called from its conspicuous stripes of color.
Snake \Snake\, n. [AS. snaca; akin to LG. snake, schnake, Icel. sn[=a]kr, sn?kr, Dan. snog, Sw. snok; of uncertain origin.] (Zo["o]l.) Any species of the order Ophidia; an ophidian; a serpent, whether harmless or venomous. See Ophidia, and Serpent. Note: Snakes are abundant in all warm countries, and much the larger number are harmless to man. Blind snake, Garter snake, Green snake, King snake, Milk snake, Rock snake, Water snake, etc. See under Blind, Garter, etc. Fetich snake (Zo["o]l.), a large African snake ( Python Seb[ae]) used by the natives as a fetich. Ringed snake (Zo["o]l.), a common European columbrine snake ( Tropidonotus natrix). Snake eater. (Zo["o]l.)
The markhoor.
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The secretary bird. Snake fence, a worm fence (which see). [U.S.] Snake fly (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of neuropterous insects of the genus Rhaphidia; -- so called because of their large head and elongated neck and prothorax. Snake gourd (Bot.), a cucurbitaceous plant ( Trichosanthes anguina) having the fruit shorter and less snakelike than that of the serpent cucumber. Snake killer. (Zo["o]l.)
The secretary bird.
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The chaparral cock.
Snake moss (Bot.), the common club moss ( Lycopodium clavatum). See Lycopodium.
Snake nut (Bot.), the fruit of a sapindaceous tree ( Ophiocaryon paradoxum) of Guiana, the embryo of which resembles a snake coiled up.
Tree snake (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of colubrine snakes which habitually live in trees, especially those of the genus Dendrophis and allied genera.
Wiktionary
n. Any of various nonvenomous snakes of the genus (taxlink Thamnophis genus noshow=1), native to America, with longitudinal stripes.
WordNet
n. any of numerous nonvenomous longitudinally-striped viviparous North American and Central American snakes [syn: grass snake]
Wikipedia
Garter snake ‒ sometimes called garden snake or gardener snake ‒ is the common name given to the nearly harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus Thamnophis. Endemic to North America, they can be found from the Subarctic plains of Canada to Central America. The garter snake is the state reptile of Massachusetts.
With no real consensus on the classification of species of Thamnophis, disagreement between taxonomists and sources, such as field guides, over whether two types of snakes are separate species or subspecies of the same species is common. Garter snakes are closely related to the genus Nerodia (water snakes), with some species having been moved back and forth between genera.
Usage examples of "garter snake".
We found the damp dirt-floored grotto beneath the verandah, reached by crawling between the hollyhocks, where only spidery dandelions tried to grow, and creeping Charlie, its crushed-mint smell mingling with cat spray and (once) the hot, sick stink of an alarmed garter snake.
A cat, even a kitten, instinctively knows the difference between a harmless snake, such as a garter snake, and a poisonous snake, such as a rattlesnake.
A small kitten will kill a garter snake but it will not tackle a rattlesnake until it has acquired the necessary strength, speed and experience.
I thought that was a much nicer souvenir than a dead albino garter snake.
When he came to the spot where the garter snake had given Freddie his excuse to quit, he saw it wriggling about spasmodically at the edge of a clump of weeds, as if something hidden in there had caught hold of it.
He had become a sinking ship: I saw three voles, a garter snake, and a pair of finches burst from their hiding places, and the fleeing insects were too numerous to count.
Saw a garter snake, the first in a long time, and observed its beautiful squirmings and darlings from a prudent distance.
A strand of vine about two feet in length was coiled around it like a garter snake.
She became a garter snake, whose garters had nothing to attach to.
Her eyes had been wandering around the room in a vague sort of way, now they came back to Paul's face just in time to catch the end of a smile slipping from his lips like the tail of a garter snake vanishing into high grass.