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

But if something goes wrong using the so-called adder strategy, the cell takes longer to get back to its original size.

From Science Daily

There are more than 400 species comprising a very diverse group of snakes such as mambas, cobras, kraits, taipans, tiger snakes, death adders, sea snakes and coral snakes.

From Science Daily

Puff adders are one of Africa’s deadliest snakes.

From Los Angeles Times

They can strike with the venom of an adder when the moment arrives.

From BBC

But Katie says her favourite animal to film was the adders, which involved 14 long days on shoot.

From BBC

Related Words

• cobra