[suh-ras-teez] 
| any of several small vipers of the genus Cerastes, including the horned viper, that have a sideways looping motion like that of a sidewinder and inhabit deserts of northern Africa and southwestern Asia. |
| ce·ras·tes (sə-rās'tēz) n. pl. cerastes Any of several venomous snakes of the genus Cerastes, such as the horned viper, having hornlike projections over each eye. [Middle English, from Latin cerastēs, from Greek kerastēs, horned serpent, from keras, horn; see ker-1 in Indo-European roots.] |