Elaps
/ˈiːlæps/noun
A former genus name for venomous snakes, especially coral snakes and related cobras.
Did you know?Elaps was an early scientific genus name associated with coral snakes; modern classification largely replaced it with more precise genera such as Micrurus.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἔλοψ (élops)
“A kind of serpent or venomous snake”
Ancient Latin
Latin
elops
“A serpent; a borrowing from Greek zoological terminology”
18th Century
Scientific Latin
Elaps
“A genus name applied to venomous snakes”
18th–19th Century
English
Elaps
“A venomous snake or the scientific genus containing such snakes”
Modern English
English
elapid
“A snake belonging to the family Elapidae, including cobras, mambas, kraits, and coral snakes”