copperhead

[ kop-er-hed ]
See synonyms for copperhead on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. 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.

  2. an extremely venomous but sluggish snake, Denisonia superba, of Australia and Tasmania, having a reddish to black body, depending on the region.

  1. 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

1
An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; copper1 + head

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use copperhead in a sentence

  • Mr. Lincoln is popular with the army, and will, as far as the soldiers can vote, beat anything the Copperheads can start.

British Dictionary definitions for copperhead

copperhead

/ (ˈkɒpəˌhɛd) /


noun
  1. a venomous reddish-brown snake, Agkistrodon contortrix, of the eastern US: family Crotalidae (pit vipers)

  2. a venomous reddish-brown Australian elapid snake, Denisonia superba

  1. 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