/ ˌænəˈkɒndə; NAmE -ˈkɑːn-/ noun
a large S American snake of the boa family, that crushes other animals to death before eating them
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 18th cent. (originally denoting a kind of Sri Lankan snake): unexplained alteration of Latin anacandaia python, from Sinhalese henakaňdayā whip snake, from hena lightning + kaňda stem.