copperhead
a venomous snake, Agkistrodon (Ancistrodon) contortrix, of the eastern and southern U.S., having a light-brown to copper-red body marked with darker bands.
an extremely venomous but sluggish snake, Denisonia superba, of Australia and Tasmania, having a reddish to black body, depending on the region.
Copperhead,
U.S. History. a Northern Democrat who opposed the Civil War, advocating peace and restoration of the Union even if slavery continued.
Military. a finned, 155 mm cannon-launched U.S. Army artillery shell that homes on the target, using the reflection of a laser beam projected by a forward observer.
Origin of copperhead
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use copperhead in a sentence
The Copperheads, a group of Midwestern Democrats, made the accusation—and far worse—against President Lincoln during Emancipation.
There's a wide-spread, violent prejudice against Burns among that class of the townspeople termed "Copperheads."
How does it come,” further queried the Governor, “that all you copperheads are for Bunting?
The Old Pike | Thomas B. SearightThere were no Copperheads at the front; they were all here, at the rear, where he was.
Miss Ravenel's conversion from secession to loyalty | J. W. de ForestWhatever may be the soldiers' vices, they have not yet sunk so far as to sympathize with Northern 'copperheads.'
E.P. Roe: Reminiscences of his Life | Mary A. Roe
Mr. Lincoln is popular with the army, and will, as far as the soldiers can vote, beat anything the Copperheads can start.
The Life of Lyman Trumbull | Horace White
British Dictionary definitions for copperhead
/ (ˈkɒpəˌhɛd) /
a venomous reddish-brown snake, Agkistrodon contortrix, of the eastern US: family Crotalidae (pit vipers)
a venomous reddish-brown Australian elapid snake, Denisonia superba
US informal a Yankee supporter of the South during the Civil War
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
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