moc·ca·sin n. [Sometimes written moccason.]
1. A shoe made of deerskin, or other soft leather, the sole and upper part being one piece. It is the customary shoe worn by the American Indians.
2. Zool. A poisonous snake of the Southern United States. The water moccasin (Ancistrodon piscivorus syn. Agkistrodon piscivorus, also called cottonmouth and cottonmouth water moccasin) is usually found in or near water. Above, it is olive brown, barred with black; beneath, it is brownish yellow, mottled with darker. The upland moccasin is Ancistrodon atrofuscus. They resemble rattlesnakes, but are without rattles.
Moccasin flower Bot., a species of lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule) found in North America. The lower petal is two inches long, and forms a rose-colored moccasin-shaped pouch. It grows in rich woods under coniferous trees.
◄ ►
Wa·ter moc·ca·sin Zool. A venomous North American snake (Ancistrodon piscivorus) allied to the rattlesnake but destitute of a rattle. It lives in or about pools and ponds, and feeds largely of fishes. Called also water snake, water adder, water viper.
◄ ►