English
kingsnake
From king + snake.
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’
…
Proto-Germanic *kuningaz
Proto-West Germanic *kuning
Old English cening
Middle English king ‘king’
English king
Proto-Germanic *sneganą ‘to crawl, creep’
…
Proto-West Germanic *snakan ‘to creep, slide’
Proto-West Germanic *snakō ‘slider, snake’
Old English snaca ‘snake, serpent, reptile’
Middle English snake
English snake
Today it means
noun Any of various colubrid snakes of the genus Lampropeltis.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / kingsnake