adder

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English addere, misdivision of naddere, from Old English nǣdre, nǣddre (snake, serpent, viper, adder), from Proto-Germanic *nēdrǭ, *nadrǭ (snake, viper) (compare West Frisian njirre, Dutch adder, German Natter, Otter), from pre-Germanic *néh₁treh₂, variant of Proto-Indo-European *nh₁trih₂ (compare Welsh neidr, Latin natrīx ‘watersnake’), from *sneh₁- (to spin, twist) (compare Dutch naaien). More at needle.

Noun

adder (plural adders)

  1. (obsolete) A snake.
  2. A name loosely applied to various snakes more or less resembling the viper; a viper.
  3. (chiefly UK) A small venomous serpent of the genus Vipera. The common European adder is the Vipera berus. The puff adders of Africa are species of the genus Oecobius.
  4. (US, Canada) Any of several small nonvenomous snakes resembling the adder, such as the milk snake.
  5. The sea-stickleback or adder-fish.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

to add + -er.

Noun

adder (plural adders)

  1. Someone who or something which performs arithmetic addition; a machine for adding numbers.
  2. Something which adds or increases.
    They sought out cost adders with an eye toward eliminating them.
Derived terms
Translations

Anagrams


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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch adder, adre, misdivison of nadder, nadre, from Old Dutch *nādra, from Proto-Germanic *nadrǭ.

Pronunciation

Noun

adder m, f (plural adders or adderen, diminutive addertje)

  1. viper, adder

Derived terms

  • addergebroed
  • een addertje onder het gras

Anagrams


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Old Prussian

Conjunction

adder

  1. or
    wāiklis adder mērgā - boy or girl
  2. but
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Last modified on 19 May 2013, at 16:26