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View synonyms for viper

viper

[ vahy-per ]

noun

  1. any of several venomous Old World snakes of the genus Vipera, especially 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. any of various venomous or supposedly venomous snakes.
  4. a malignant or spiteful person.
  5. a false or treacherous person.
  6. Viper, Military. a 9-pound (4-kilogram), shoulder-launched, unguided U.S. Army antitank rocket with an effective range of 273 yards (250 meters).


viper

/ ˈvaɪpə /

noun

  1. any venomous Old World snake of the family Viperidae, esp any of the genus Vipera (the adder and related forms), having hollow fangs in the upper jaw that are used to inject venom
  2. any of various other snakes, such as the horned viper
  3. a malicious or treacherous person


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Derived Forms

  • ˈviper-ˌlike, adjective

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Other Words From

  • viper·ish adjective
  • viper·ish·ly adverb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of viper1

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin vīpera, variant of unattested vīvipera, noun use of feminine of unattested vīviper, later (as re-formation) vīviparus “bringing forth live young”; vivi-, -parous

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Word History and Origins

Origin of viper1

C16: from Latin vīpera, perhaps from vīvus living + parere to bear, referring to a tradition that the viper was viviparous

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. to nourish a viper in one's bosom, to befriend a person who proves to be treacherous.

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Example Sentences

The emergence of venom allowed vipers and other ambitious snakes to bring down prey that might otherwise be too dangerous for them to subdue.

Pit Viper’s image issues worsened last weekend, when “groyper” leader Nick Fuentes and several of his associates wore what appeared to be Pit Viper shades as they attempted to crash a Dallas event held by the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Issa went on to found the Viper car alarms, making a fortune estimated in the hundreds of millions.

Oberyn “Red Viper” Martell, of course, was brutally killed during a trial by combat with The Mountain.

Oberyn “Red Viper” Martell (Pedro Pascal)  Dies: Season 4, Episode 8: “The Mountain and the Viper” Dios mio.

But Pedro Pascal, the Chilean-American actor who brought the Red Viper to thrilling life, is a busy man.

Did you watch the showdown between The Mountain and the Red Viper?

Of the actual duel between the Mountain and the Viper, judging its accuracy is no easy matter.

A serpent is a serpent, and none the less a viper, because nestled in the bosom of an honest hearted man.

Caroline darts a viper-like glance at Adolphe, who recoils and proceeds to walk up and down the room.

The coloring of Coronella leopardinus would be the most likely to suggest a viper.

The viper says to the leech, ‘Why do people invite your bite, and flee from mine?’

He called Nino a perfidious traitor and a foolish viper, and an imbecile and the son of an imbecile.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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