sidewinder

[ sahyd-wahyn-der ]

noun

1. a severe swinging blow from the side.
2. a rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, of southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, that has a hornlike projection over each eye and that moves in loose sand by raising loops on the body and displacing them sideways.
3. any Old World snake that moves by sidewinding, as various species of Bitis and Cerastes.
4. (initial capital letter) an air-to-air, supersonic weapon that intercepts and destroys enemy aircraft using an infrared homing-guidance system.

sidewinder

/ ˈsaɪdˌwaɪndə /

noun

1. a North American rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, that moves forwards by a sideways looping motion
2. boxing a heavy swinging blow from the side
3. a US air-to-air missile using infrared homing aids in seeking its target

Word History and Origins

Origin of sidewinder¹

First recorded in 1830–40; side ¹ + winder

Example Sentences

Among them is a man who a month ago was bitten by a sidewinder rattlesnake near the desert resort city of Palm Springs.

From Los Angeles Times

As they roamed the dunes, Fischer spotted a set of sidewinder tracks, a repeating pattern that they would never have expected a rattlesnake to leave in its wake.

From Los Angeles Times

With their multicellular bodies, animals evolved into a staggering range of forms, like whales that weigh 200 tons, birds that soar six miles into the sky and sidewinders that slither across desert dunes.

From New York Times

If a future Mars rover plans to climb up something steep, it might have to look something like a sidewinder snake.

From Los Angeles Times

The weapons package was an existing request by Ankara, and includes AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air and sidewinder missiles, as well as hardware and software updates for F-16 fighter jets, sources said.

From Reuters