UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: asp, cobra, viper

Semantic entry: 4.53

Semantic domains: Animals

Subdomains: Reptiles and Other 'Creeping Things'

Definition: kind of poisonous snake; associated with lurking danger

Notes: The terms ἀσπίς and ἔχιδνα[a] may be used to refer to almost any kind of poisonous snake, and since at least some type of poisonous snake occurs in practically all parts of the world, there is usually little difficulty involved in finding an appropriate term. One can, however, always employ a descriptive expression, for example, ‘a snake whose bite causes death.’

Further resources: fauna:4.4