adder

1 of 2

noun (1)

ad·der ˈa-dər How to pronounce adder (audio)

: the common venomous viper (Vipera berus) of Europe

broadly : any of various snakes of the viper family compare puff adder

: any of several North American snakes (such as the hognose snakes) that are harmless but are popularly believed to be venomous

adder

2 of 2

noun (2)

add·er ˈa-dər How to pronounce adder (audio)

: one that adds

especially : a device (as in a computer) that performs addition

Did you know?

How Adder Lost Its First Letter

Words formed by what linguists call “false division,” “misdivision,” or “metanalysis” have spellings that record a mistake that was made at some point in their history, when the spelling or sound of the word was split in the wrong place.

Misdivisions of words that begin with the letter n are frequent because, in speech, it is difficult to distinguish between the sound of the indefinite article “a” followed by a word beginning with an n (as in “a name”) and the sound of the indefinite article “an” followed by a word beginning with a vowel (as in “an aim”). This make the position of the n very easily confused.

An example is the name of the venomous snake known as the adder. The Old English word for this viper was nǣdre, which became nadder in Middle English. Over time, a nadder became an adder. By by the mid-1400s, the word was being spelled both with and without the n, but since about 1500, the n-less spelling has prevailed.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English addre, eddre, alteration (resulting from misdivision of a naddre) of naddre, neddre, going back to Old English nǣdre "adder, snake," going back to West Germanic nēdrōn- (whence also Old Saxon nādra "grass snake [Natrix natrix or allied species]," Old High German nātara, nāter), going back to dialectal (western) Indo-European *neh₁tr-, full-grade ablaut of *nh₁tr- (whence Old Norse naðr "adder, snake," Gothic nadrs "snake, viper," Latin natric-, natrix "water snake [as Natrix maura]," Old Irish nathir [genitive singular nathrach] "snake," Welsh neidr [plural nadredd], Breton aer, naer "grass snake"), perhaps from *(s)neh₁- "twist together, spin" + *-tr-, -ter-, agent suffix (hence "one who winds, twists") — more at needle entry 1

Noun (2)

add + -er entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1547, in the meaning defined above

单词	adder
释义	adder 1 of 2 noun (1) ad·der ˈa-dər 1 : the common venomous viper (Vipera berus) of Europe broadly : any of various snakes of the viper family compare puff adder 2 : any of several North American snakes (such as the hognose snakes) that are harmless but are popularly believed to be venomous Illustration of adder adder 1 adder 2 of 2 noun (2) add·er ˈa-dər : one that adds especially : a device (as in a computer) that performs addition Did you know? How Adder Lost Its First Letter Words formed by what linguists call “false division,” “misdivision,” or “metanalysis” have spellings that record a mistake that was made at some point in their history, when the spelling or sound of the word was split in the wrong place. Misdivisions of words that begin with the letter n are frequent because, in speech, it is difficult to distinguish between the sound of the indefinite article “a” followed by a word beginning with an n (as in “a name”) and the sound of the indefinite article “an” followed by a word beginning with a vowel (as in “an aim”). This make the position of the n very easily confused. An example is the name of the venomous snake known as the adder. The Old English word for this viper was nǣdre, which became nadder in Middle English. Over time, a nadder became an adder. By by the mid-1400s, the word was being spelled both with and without the n, but since about 1500, the n-less spelling has prevailed. Word History Etymology Noun (1) Middle English addre, eddre, alteration (resulting from misdivision of a naddre) of naddre, neddre, going back to Old English nǣdre "adder, snake," going back to West Germanic nēdrōn- (whence also Old Saxon nādra "grass snake [Natrix natrix or allied species]," Old High German nātara, nāter), going back to dialectal (western) Indo-European neh₁tr-, full-grade ablaut of nh₁tr- (whence Old Norse naðr "adder, snake," Gothic nadrs "snake, viper," Latin natric-, natrix "water snake [as Natrix maura]," Old Irish nathir [genitive singular nathrach] "snake," Welsh neidr [plural nadredd], Breton aer, naer "grass snake"), perhaps from (s)neh₁- "twist together, spin" + -tr-, -ter-, agent suffix (hence "one who winds, twists") — more at needle entry 1 Noun (2) add + -er entry 2 First Known Use Noun (1) 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun (2) 1547, in the meaning defined above Phrases Containing adder puff adder adder's-tongue puff adder adder's-tongue Kids Definition adder noun ad·der ˈa-dər 1 : a poisonous snake of Europe or Africa 2 : a harmless North American snake Medical Definition adder noun ad·der ˈad-ər 1 : the common venomous European viper of the genus Vipera (V. berus) broadly : a terrestrial viper of the family Viperidae 2 : any of several North American snakes (as the hognose snakes) that are harmless but are popularly believed to be venomous adder noun as in asp Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance asp rattlesnake copperhead cobra python bushmaster mamba moccasin taipan constrictor boa racer anaconda krait blacksnake viper horned viper green snake puff adder king cobra pit viper garter snake water snake rat snake pine snake worm snake indigo snake king snake hognose snake gopher snake milk snake black racer sidewinder coral snake bull snake blue racer sea snake chicken snake fer-de-lance water moccasin sea serpent diamondback rattlesnake cottonmouth moccasin snake serpent
随便看	beta-adrenergic beta-adrenocepter beta-adrenocepters beta-adrenoreceptor beta-adrenoreceptors beta-amyloid beta-amyloid peptide beta-amyloid protein beta-blocker beta-blocking beta-carotene beta-endorphin beta-glucan beta-hydroxy beta-hydroxy acid beta-hydroxy acids beta-lactamase beta-naphthyl beta-oxidation beta-receptor beta-thalassaemia beta-thalassemia betabacteria betabacterium betacism

adder

noun (1)

Illustration of adder

noun (2)

Did you know?

Word History

Phrases Containing adder

Kids Definition

noun

Medical Definition

noun

noun