adder

adder
\ \ [OE] In Old English, the term for a snake (any snake, not just an adder) was nǣddre; there are or were related forms in many other European languages, such as Latin natrix, Welsh neidr, and German natter (but there does not seem to be any connection with the natterjack toad). Around the 14th century, however, the word began to lose its initial consonant. The noun phrase including the indefinite article, a nadder, became misanalysed as an adder, and by the 17th century nadder had disappeared from the mainstream language (though it survived much longer in northern dialects).

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Adder — Technology Тип Частная компания Год основания 1984 Расположение …   Википедия

  • Adder — may refer to:Snakes: * Any venomous snake. * Vipera berus , a.k.a. the common European adder, a venomous viper found in Europe and northern Asia. * Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen , a.k.a. the northern copperhead, a venomous viper found in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Adder — Ad der, n. [OE. addere, naddere, eddre, AS. n[ae]dre, adder, snake; akin to OS. nadra, OHG. natra, natara, Ger. natter, Goth. nadrs, Icel. na[eth]r, masc., na[eth]ra, fem.: cf. W. neidr, Gorn. naddyr, Ir. nathair, L. natrix, water snake. An adder …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • adder — (n.) O.E. næddre a snake, serpent, viper, from W.Gmc. *nædro a snake (Cf. O.N. naðra, M.Du. nadre, O.H.G. natra, Ger. Natter, Goth. nadrs), from PIE root *netr (Cf. L. natrix water snake, probably by folk association with nare …   Etymology dictionary

  • adder — ► NOUN ▪ a venomous snake with a dark zigzag pattern on its back. ORIGIN Old English nædre «serpent, adder»; the initial n was lost by wrong division of a naddre …   English terms dictionary

  • adder — adder1 [ad′ər] n. 1. one who adds ☆ 2. an adding machine 3. a computer circuit that performs addition adder2 [ad′ər] n. [ME < nadder (by faulty separation of a nadder) < OE nædre < IE base * nətr, *nētr > L natrix, watersnake] …   English World dictionary

  • Adder — Add er, n. [See {Add}.] One who, or that which, adds; esp., a machine for adding numbers. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Adder — Adder, ist Pelias berus, s. u. Vipern …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Adder — Adder, soviel wie Kreuzotter …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • adder — adder1 /ad euhr/, n. 1. the common European viper, Vipera berus. 2. any of various other venomous or harmless snakes resembling the viper. [bef. 950; late ME; r. ME nadder (a nadder becoming an adder by misdivision; cf. APRON), OE naeddre; c. OS… …   Universalium

  • adder — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. puff adder, viper. II (Roget s IV) n. Syn. viper, asp, snake. Adders include: European, spotted, puff adder, hognose snake, dwarf puff, night adder, milk adder, milk snake; see also snake …   English dictionary for students

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