Amphisbaena \Am`phis*b[ae]"na\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; ? on both ends + ? to go.]

1. A fabled serpent with a head at each end, moving either way. --Milton.

2. (Zo["o]l.) A genus of harmless lizards, serpentlike in form, without legs, and with both ends so much alike that they appear to have a head at each, and ability to move either way. See Illustration in Appendix.

Note: The Gordius aquaticus, or hairworm, has been called an amphisb[ae]na; but it belongs among the worms.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)