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adder1

Pronunciation: /ˈadə/

Translate adder | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

Definition of adder

noun

a small venomous Eurasian snake which has a dark zigzag pattern on its back and bears live young. It is the only poisonous snake in Britain. Also called viper.
- Vipera berus, family Viperidae
used in names of snakes that are similar or related to the adder, e.g. death adder, puff adder.

Origin:

Old English nædre 'serpent, adder', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch adder and German Natter. The initial n was lost in Middle English by wrong division of a naddre; compare with apron, auger, and umpire