Echis
/ˈɛkɪs/noun
A genus of highly venomous vipers commonly known as saw-scaled vipers.
Did you know?The name Echis comes from Ancient Greek ἔχις, “viper,” the same word behind Echidna—the mythological serpent-woman and the name of Australia’s spiny mammal.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁eǵʰis
“A reconstructed word for snake or serpent.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἔχις (ékhis)
“Viper; a venomous snake.”
Classical mythology
Greek
Ἔχιδνα (Ékhidna)
“Echidna, a serpent-bodied monster described as the mother of monsters.”
18th Century
Scientific Latin
Echis
“A zoological genus name formed from the Greek word for viper.”
Modern English
English
Echis
“The genus of saw-scaled vipers, including medically important venomous snakes.”