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nonvenomous tan and brown king snake with an arrow-shaped occipital spot; southeastern ones have red stripes like coral snakes

: king snake; especially : a common harmless snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) that is grayish or tan with black-bordered brown blotches and an arrow-shaped occipital spot, occurs from Canada to Mexico, and is popularly believed to frequent milk houses to drink milk though in fact it preys upon the mice infesting such places

any of numerous, usually brightly marked king snakes of the subspecies Lampropeltis triangulum (doliata), of North America. Also called house snake, milk adder.

[1790-1800, Amer.; so called because they were said to suck milk from cows]

milk snake noun

Main Entry: ↑milk

milk snake,

any one of several harmless, tricolored, blotched or ringed snakes of North America, which are constrictors of the same genus as the king snakes. One kind is sometimes confused with the copperhead. Milk snakes are traditionally, but wrongly, supposed to milk cows; house snake.

n. a harmless North American constrictor that is typically strongly marked with red and black on yellow or white. It was formerly supposed to suck milk from sleeping cows. ● Genus Lampropeltis, family Colubridae: several species, in particular L. triangulum. Compare with king snake