puff adder

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noun

a large, thick-bodied, African viper, Bitis arietans, that inflates its body and hisses when disturbed.

a similar viper, B. inornata, native to southern Africa.

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Origin of puff adder

First recorded in 1780–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use puff adder in a sentence

It has French ingredients like leeks and tarragon, and I use puff pastry to make the crust easy!
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And even ordinary exercisers may subject themselves to dirty looks if they puff near their gym.
E-Cigarettes: The Side Effects Nobody Talks About|DailyBurn|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So we salute you, Mr. Fielder, even as we continue to huff and puff at the gym in pursuit of those rippling ridges.
Prince Fielder’s Demi Moore Moment: World Loses It Over Athlete Without Six-Pack|Tim Teeman|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In his new video for “I Want the Love,” Puff Daddy sits tight on what appears to be a pretty good replica of the iron throne.
Stars, They’re Obsessed with ‘Game of Thrones’ Just Like Us!|Amy Zimmerman|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I walked behind the idling swing and gave it a gentle puff of a push.
When An Adopted Child Won’t Attach|Tina Traster|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a white silk, with an immense train, of course, and without overskirt—simply caught up in a great puff behind.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
It curled and twisted in the embers as if it had been a living thing; a puff of smoke, a pungent odour, and it was gone.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The horse made a spring to one side, and the beautiful new pipe was broken before the old hero had taken a single puff.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The flounces were so full and fluffy that he held his knees back nervously lest he should disturb a puff.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Will not one puff of that narcotic breath drowse deep all watching dragons, and make for him the sleeping beauties of his will?
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for puff adder

puff adder

noun

a large venomous African viper, Bitis arietans, that is yellowish-grey with brown markings and inflates its body when alarmed

another name for hognose snake

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