hamadryad Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the nymph or spirit of a particular tree
  2. noun large cobra of southeastern Asia and the East Indies; the largest venomous snake; sometimes placed in genus Naja
    Naja hannah; king cobra; Ophiophagus hannah.

WordNet

Ham"a*dry`ad noun
Etymology
L. Hamadryas, -adis, Gr. together + oak, tree: cf. F. hamadryade. See Same, and Tree.
Wordforms
plural E Hamadryads L Hamadryades
Definitions
  1. (Class. Myth.) A tree nymph whose life ended with that of the particular tree, usually an oak, which had been her abode.
  2. (Zoöl.) A large venomous East Indian snake (Orhiophagus bungarus), allied to the cobras.

Webster 1913