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. 2023

How to use puff adder in a sentence

It is a specimen—a very rare specimen—of the South African puff-adder.
Mr. Punch In Society|Various
We have another dangerous serpent, the puff adder, and several vipers.
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa|David Livingstone
We shot a large puff-adder, to prevent it from killing men; you may see it lying dead on the beach.
A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries|David Livingstone
They were all small and only two, a puff adder and a little viper, were known to be venomous.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon

The larger snake is as highly poisonous as the common puff-adder, and quite as much dreaded.
Sporting Scenes amongst the Kaffirs of South Africa|Alfred W. Drayson

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