adder
1[ ad-er ]
/ ˈæd ər /
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noun
the common European viper, Vipera berus.
any of various other venomous or harmless snakes resembling the viper.
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Origin of adder
1before 950; late Middle English; replacing Middle English nadder (a nadder becoming an adder by misdivision; cf. 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
Words nearby adder
Definition for adder (2 of 2)
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for adder
British Dictionary definitions for adder (1 of 2)
adder1
/ (ˈædə) /
noun
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
any of various similar venomous or nonvenomous snakes
See also death adder, puff adder
Word Origin for adder
Old English nǣdre snake; in Middle English a naddre was mistaken for an addre; related to Old Norse nathr, Gothic nadrs
British Dictionary definitions for adder (2 of 2)
adder2
/ (ˈædə) /
noun
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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