ˈmämbə, ˈmam- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Zulu im-amba
: any of several tropical and southern African venomous snakes of the genus Dendraspis related to the cobras but lacking a dilatable hood ; especially : a southern African snake ( D. angusticeps ) that has a light or olive-green phase and a black phase, that attains in the latter phase a length of 12 feet, and that is dreaded because of its quickness and readiness to inflict its often fatal bite