fer-de-lance

[ fer-dl-ans, -ahns ]
/ ˌfɛr dlˈæns, -ˈɑns /

noun

a large pit viper, Bothrops atrox, of tropical America.

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Origin of fer-de-lance

1875–80; < French: literally, spearhead

Words nearby fer-de-lance

feoffment, feosol, fepa, fepc, fer, fer-de-lance, fera, ferae naturae, feral, feral child, ferbam
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for fer-de-lance

British Dictionary definitions for fer-de-lance

fer-de-lance
/ (ˌfɛədəˈlɑːns) /

noun

a large highly venomous tropical American snake, Trimeresurus (or Bothops) atrox, with a greyish-brown mottled coloration: family Crotalidae (pit vipers)

Word Origin for fer-de-lance

C19: from French, literally: iron (head) of a lance
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012