What is the origin of 'sleep tight'?
Read moreOne of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
A file snake of the genus Acrochordus.
Early 19th century; earliest use found in Robert Kerr (1757–1813), scientific writer and translator. From French acrochorde or its scientific Latin etymon acrochordus from classical Latin acrochordōn wart with a thin neck; so called on account of the wart-like protuberances on its skin.