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6 dictionary results for: viper
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
vi·per 
[vahy-per] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[vahy-per] Pronunciation Key –noun
—Idiom
| 1. | any of several venomous Old World snakes of the genus Vipera, esp. V. berus, a small snake common in northern Eurasia. |
| 2. | any related snakes belonging to the family Viperidae, characterized by erectile, venom-conducting fangs. |
| 3. | pit viper. |
| 4. | any of various venomous or supposedly venomous snakes. |
| 5. | a malignant or spiteful person. |
| 6. | a false or treacherous person. |
| 7. | (initial capital letter) Military. a 9-pound (4 kg), shoulder-launched, unguided U.S. Army antitank rocket with an effective range of 273 yds. (250 m). |
| 8. | to nourish a viper in one's bosom, to befriend a person who proves to be treacherous. |
[Origin: 1520–30; < L vīpera, haplological var. of *vīvipera, n. use of fem. of *vīviper, later (as re-formation) vīviparus viviparous]
] —Related forms
vi·per·ish, adjective
vi·per·ish·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| vi·per
(vī'pər) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English vipere, from Old French, from Latin vīpera, snake, contraction of *vīvipera : vīvus, alive; see gwei- in Indo-European roots + parere, to give birth; see perə-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
viper
viper
c.1520, from M.Fr. vipere, from L. vipera "viper, snake, serpent," from vivus "alive, living" (see vital) + parere "bring forth, bear" (see pare). It formerly was believed (mistakenly) that the viper does not lay eggs. Applied to persons of spiteful character since at least 1591. The only venomous snake found in Great Britain. Replaced native adder. "The flesh of the viper was formerly regarded as possessing great nutritive or restorative properties, and was frequently used medicinally" [OED]; hence viper wine, wine medicated with some kind of extract from vipers, used 17c. by "gray-bearded gallants" in a bid "to feele new lust, and youthfull flames agin."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| viper | |
noun | |
| venomous Old World snakes characterized by hollow venom-conducting fangs in the upper jaw |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Viper
Vi"per\, n. [F. vip[`e]re, L. vipera, probably contr. fr. vivipera; vivus alive + parere to bring forth, because it was believed to be the only serpent that brings forth living young. Cf. Quick, a., Parent, Viviparous, Wivern, Weever.]1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of Old World venomous makes belonging to Vipera, Clotho, Daboia, and other genera of the family Viperid[ae]. There came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. --Acts xxviii. 3. Note: Among the best-known species are the European adder (Pelias berus), the European asp (Vipera aspis), the African horned viper (V. cerastes), and the Indian viper (Daboia Russellii). 2. A dangerous, treacherous, or malignant person. Who committed To such a viper his most sacred trust Of secrecy. --Milton. Horned viper. (Zo["o]l.) See Cerastes. Red viper (Zo["o]l.), the copperhead. Viper fish (Zo["o]l.), a small, slender, phosphorescent deep-sea fish (Chauliodus Sloanii). It has long ventral and dorsal fins, a large mouth, and very long, sharp teeth. Viper's bugloss (Bot.), a rough-leaved biennial herb (Echium vulgare) having showy purplish blue flowers. It is sometimes cultivated, but has become a pestilent weed in fields from New York to Virginia. Also called blue weed. Viper's grass (Bot.), a perennial composite herb (Scorzonera Hispanica) with narrow, entire leaves, and solitary heads of yellow flowers. The long, white, carrot-shaped roots are used for food in Spain and some other countries. Called also viper grass.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Viper
In Job 20:16, Isa. 30:6; 59:5, the Heb. word eph'eh is thus rendered. The Hebrew word, however, probably denotes a species of poisonous serpents known by the Arabic name of 'el ephah. Tristram has identified it with the sand viper, a species of small size common in sandy regions, and frequently found under stones by the shores of the Dead Sea. It is rapid in its movements, and highly poisonous. In the New Testament _echidne_ is used (Matt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33) for any poisonous snake. The viper mentioned in Acts 28:3 was probably the vipera aspis, or the Mediterranean viper. (See ADDER.)
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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