adder

¹ American  

[ad-er] / ˈæd ər /

noun

1. the common European viper, Vipera berus.

2. any of various other venomous or harmless snakes resembling the viper.

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adder ² American  

[ad-er] / ˈæd ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that adds.

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adder ¹ British  

/ ˈædə /

noun

1. Also called: viper.  a common viper, Vipera berus, that is widely distributed in Europe, including Britain, and Asia and is typically dark greyish in colour with a black zigzag pattern along the back

2. any of various similar venomous or nonvenomous snakes

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adder ² British  

/ ˈædə /

noun

1. a person or thing that adds, esp a single element of an electronic computer, the function of which is to add a single digit of each of two inputs

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Etymology

Origin of adder¹

before 950; late Middle English; replacing Middle English nadder ( a nadder becoming an adder by misdivision; apron ), Old English næddre; cognate with Old Saxon nādra, Old High German nātara ( German Natter ), Old Norse nathra snake, Gothic nadrs adder, Old Irish nathir snake, Latin natrix water snake

Origin of adder²

First recorded in 1570–80; add + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Overall, the adder was thought to result in a less precise size distribution.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2024

To investigate, Ms. Folwell set about dissecting the tail of a female death adder.

From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2022

He added that native adder bites in the UK were extremely rare.

From BBC • Jul. 19, 2022

A debut novel as slender and deadly as an adder, “Assembly” follows a young Black British woman preparing to attend a party at her boyfriend’s family estate.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2021

They spoke of the adder as if it were a reptile that was half legend, half nightmare.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• cobra