any nonvenomous North American colubrid snake of the genus Lampropeltis, feeding on other snakes, small mammals, etc
king snake in American English
noun
any of several New World constrictors of the genus Lampropeltis, that often feed on other snakes
Also: kingsnake
Word origin
[1700–10, Amer.; king + snake]This word is first recorded in the period 1700–10. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cirrus, cozy, envelope, marquise, sliding scale