Resembling or similar to a rattlesnake or member of the family Crotalidae in appearance or characteristics.
From Crotalus or crotalum (rattle) combined with the suffix -oid (resembling or similar to), creating a descriptor for rattle-like or rattlesnake-like qualities.
The suffix -oid is everywhere in science—humanoid, android, tabloid—all meaning 'resembling' or 'like,' but it comes from Greek eidos (form), making it one of science's most productive word-building tools!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.