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addern.1Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch nader , nadre , nadder , adere , adder , etc. (Dutch adder ), Old Saxon nādra , nādāra (Middle Low German nāder , ader , adder ), Old High German nātra , nātāra (Middle High German nātere , nāter , German Natter (now chiefly in sense ‘grass snake’), also (originally regional) Otter viper), and (with different ablaut grade) Old Icelandic naðra , naðr , Gothic nadrs < the same Indo-European base as (with different ablaut grade and further suffix) classical Latin natrīx water snake (with sense influenced by natāre to swim: see natant adj.) and Early Irish nathir snake, probably ultimately < the same Indo-European base (originally with the sense ‘to twist, turn’) as e.g. classical Latin nēre to spin (see needle n.). In sense 1b after corresponding use of classical Latin serpēns serpent n. (in post-classical Latin in this sense (Vulgate)), vīpera viper n. (already in classical Latin in this sense). With sense 3 compare earlier adder fly n. at Compounds 2, adderbolt n.In Old English usually a weak feminine (nǣdre , næddre ); occasionally also attested as a strong masculine (compare Northumbrian genitive singular nedres ). Attested early in place names, as Nedrefelle , Sussex (1086; now Netherfield); compare also the following from 12th-cent. copies of Somerset charters of earlier date:lOE Bounds (Sawyer 254) in W. de G. Birch Cartularium Saxonicum (1885) I. 229 Swa to wiðig leagate, þæt to næddran beorge.lOE Bounds (Sawyer 511) in W. de G. Birch Cartularium Saxonicum (1887) II. 495 On sciteres flodan on nedder heal, of nedder heale on þære greatan bechan geat. The β. forms show metanalysis (see N n.). The forms without initial n- in Dutch, Middle Low German, and German similarly result from reanalysis in contexts where the indefinite article (in -n) immediately preceded the word. 1. the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > [noun] > member of (snake) the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > member of α. eOE cxlviii. 10 Bestię et uniuersa pecora, serpentes, et uolucres pennatę : wildeor & ealle nytenu nædran & fugelas gefiþrede. OE Ælfric (Royal) (1997) xviii. 321 On nædran hiwe beswac se deoful Adam. OE Ælfric (Claud.) iii. 4 Ða cwæð seo nædre eft to ðam wife: Ne beo ge nateshwon deade. OE (Corpus Cambr.) iii. 14 Swa swa Moyses þa næddran up ahof. a1200 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Trin. Cambr.) l. 277 in R. Morris (1873) 2nd Ser. 228 Þar [sc. in hell] beð naddren [v.r. neddren]..Þe tereð and freteð þo euele swiken. c1200 Serm. in (1961) 7 62 He in hane neddre liche com to adam and to eue. a1325 (c1250) (1968) l. 323 ‘Eue,’ seide he, ðat neddre bold. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (2003) §257 Dedly synne hath first suggestioun of the feend as sheweth heere by the Naddre [v.r. naddere, adder, Hadder] and afterward the delit of the flessh as sheweth heere by Eua. ?a1425 (c1400) (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 134 Þei maken a maner of hissynge as a nedder doth. (Harl. 221) 135 Eddyr, or neddyr, wyrme, serpens. 1846 W. E. Brockett (ed. 3) I. at Fleeing-eather The vulgar are afraid of being stung by it [sc. a dragon fly]; from which circumstance it is, in some places, called a stanging eather, and, in others, a tanging nedder; both meaning a stinging adder. β. c1300 Holy Cross (Laud) l. 205 in C. Horstmann (1887) 7 An Addre it hadde bi-clupt a-boute al naked with-oute skinne—Þat was þat treo and þe Naddre þat made Adam don furst sunne.a1382 (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. iii. 4 Forsoþe þe edder [a1425 L.V. serpent] seide to þe womman.?c1475 (BL Add. 15562) f. 116 Slughes of Edderys, exvnie..Indubie.a1500 (?a1400) (1903) l. 3341 An Edder glode forth vpon the grownde..To kylle the Adder had he thogh[t]e.a1500 (a1460) (1994) I. x. 92 He [sc. Adam] begyled was Thrugh the edder.a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil (1957) ii. iv. 8 Throw the styl sey from Tenedos infeir, Lo, twa gret lowpit edderis, with mony thraw, Fast throu the flude towart the land gan draw.?a1600 ( R. Sempill Legend Bischop St. Androis in J. Cranstoun (1891) I. xlv. 363 Medusas craftis scho culd declair, In making eddars of hir hair.the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > [noun] > one who deceives the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > unkindness > spite, malice > [noun] > malicious person society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > undutifulness > treachery > [noun] > treacherous person OE (Corpus Cambr.) xxiii. 33 Eala ge næddran [c1200 Hatton næddra; L. serpentes] & næddrena cynn, hu fleo ge fram helle dome? OE Hymns (Vesp. D.xii) liv. 2 in H. Gneuss (1968) 332 Nos ergo signo domini tutemus claustra pectora ne serpens ille callidus intrandi temptet aditum: we eornostlice mid tacne drihtnes utan bewerian clusan breosta þæt ne næddre seo wrecenda in to gune [read ganne] ongynne ingang. c1175 (Burchfield transcript) l. 9755 Ȝe neddress streon, wha tahhte ȝuw To fleon & to forrbuȝhenn Þatt irre þatt to cumenn iss? a1225 53 Witeð eow þet ȝe ne beo noht þe foaȝe neddre, ne þe blake tadde. c1230 (?a1200) (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 103 Þe neddre of attri onde haueð seoue hwelpes. 1340 (1866) 26 Þet oþer heaued of þe kueade beste is enuie, þet is þe eddre, þet al enuenymeþ. c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 542 O. seruant traytour false homly hewe Lyk to the Neddre [v.rr. nedder, naddre, nadder, adder] in bosom, sly vntrewe. c1425 J. Lydgate (Augustus A.iv) iv. l. 6442 (MED) O þou traitour, most malicious! Þou false serpent, adder envious! c1520 M. Nisbet (1901) I. Matt. xii. 34 Ye generatioun of eddiris [L. progenies viperarum]. a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece (1858) I. 673 That horribill edder with vipros invie. 1655 J. Preston 10 Surely ye have need to buckle on your Armor with Patience, to go up and down..hissing Serpents of envy, poisonous Adders of maliciousness, and fiery flying Scorpions of slandering their neighbours. 1799 tr. A. von Kotzebue ii. ix. 60 Repentance is always an adder—but repentance in wedlock is hell on earth! 1852 H. Melville xii. i. 261 In my bosom a secret adder of self-reproach and self-infamy would never leave off its sting. 1939 M. Elwin xi. 376 They are more intellectual, possessed of more visible virtue, less virile, but similarly bitten by the adder of social convention. 2006 D. Gillespie ix. 104 You adder in the straw. Explain yourself. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > mythical creature or object > [noun] > dragon OE tr. Bili 41 Þa se halga Machu..eode ongean þa nædran [L. serpenti] & he..alegde his stæf þe he him on handa hæfde ofer þæs dracon [L. draconis] sweoran. OE Homily: Sermonem Angelorum Nomina (Corpus Cambr. 419) in A. S. Napier (1883) 229 Ic sende ofer eow fleogende nædran, þa þe fretað eowre breost and eowre blæde, þe ge big libban scylon. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 365 (MED) Also Tritholomus, þat was i-bore of fleynge addres in to nedy londes at þe heste of Cereres and brouȝt hem whete, it is a fable. c1400 (?a1300) (Laud) (1952) l. 5253 (MED) Grete addren comen flynge. ?a1425 (c1400) (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 17 (MED) Þere fleygh out an Eddere right hidous to see. a1500 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker (1884) I. 706 Hic jaculus, Hic biceps, a flyande eddyre. 2. the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > [noun] > member of (snake) > group of venomous snakes > venomous snake the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > genus Vipera > vipera berus (common viper) OE (Harl. 585) 33 Wyrm com snican, toslat henan [perh. read he man]; ða genam Woden viiii wuldortanas, sloh ða þa næddran. OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius (Vitell.) (1984) cliii. 196 Gyf mon þas wyrte on mannes swyran ahehð heo næddran [L. serpentes] aflygeþ. ?a1160 (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 Hi diden heom in quarterne þar nadres & snakes & pades wæron inne, & drapen heom swa. c1225 (?c1200) (Bodl.) (1938) 12 (MED) Snikeð in & ut neddren & eauroskes. a1300 (c1275) (1991) 107 Ðanne ðe neddre is of his hid naked & bare of his brest-atter. c1325 (c1300) (Calig.) 1007 Selde me ssal..eny foul worm ise, Vor neddren [v.r. nedres; B. naddren; v.rr. addren, addres] ne oþer wormes ne dorre þer [sc. Ireland] be noȝt. c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham (1902) 101 So doþ þe naddre steng. a1450 in (1948) 7 158 (MED) Fra hys fletynge þou kepe þe þus As fra nedder þat is venemus. a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun (Nero) i. 1389 Þat nakyn best of wenom may Liff or lest aytour a day, As ask or eddyr, tade or pade. 1501 G. Douglas (1787) ii. xxiv. 43 A vennomous ather and a serpent fell. 1535 Prov. xxiii. C It byteth like a serpent [Wyclif eddere], and styngeth as an Adder [Wyclif kokatrice]. ?1594 D. Monro (1961) 20 Haray..hes nather wolfis, toddis, nor edderis in it. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. i. 14 It is the bright day, that brings forth the Adder, And that craues warie walking. View more context for this quotation 1642 J. Milton 31 That tyranny which the whole Kingdome cry'd out against as stung with Adders, and Scorpions. 1673 J. Ray 146 A Nedder. Coluber, Anguis. 1721 E. Young i. i. 28 Has the dark Adder Venom? So have I When trod upon. 1810 W. Scott v. 213 Like adder darting from his coil. 1816 W. Scott Old Mortality i, in 1st Ser. III. 16 A pang which resembled the sting of an adder. 1884 Ld. Tennyson i. iii. 61 Snake—ay, but he that lookt a fangless one, Issues a venomous adder. a1933 J. A. Thomson (1934) I. xix. 511 The commonest place for an adder to strike a human being is above the ankle. 1973 A. d'A. Bellairs & J. F. D. Frazer (ed. 5) vi. 248 It is likely that much of the adder's prey is captured in burrows, and this may explain the slit pupil. 1995 C. Mattison iii. 59/1 These [communal hibernation] dens are commonplace among rattlesnakes in the northern latitudes of North America and with the European adder, Vipera berus. the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > genus Vipera > member of eOE (Mercian) (1965) lvii. 4 (5) Ira illis secundum similitudinem serpentis sicut aspides surde et obturantes aures suas : eorre him efter gelicnisse nedran swe nedran deafe & forduttænde earan hire. OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius (Vitell.) (1984) cxxxi. 168 Ðeos wyrt þe man basilisca..nemneþ byð cenned on ðam stowum þær seo nædre byþ þe man þam ylcan naman nemneð basiliscus. lOE vi. 33 Furor draconum vinum eorum et furor aspidum insanabilis : wylm dræcenæ wyn hiræ & wylm niedrenæ on wedendum. a1382 (Bodl. 959) (1965) Psalms lvii. 5 Woodnesse to þem after þe lycnesse of an eddere, as of a doumb eddere [a1425 L.V. deef snake; L. aspidis surdæ] & stoppinge his eris. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 241 Cleopatra..deyde by þe venym of an addre [?a1475 serpente, L. aspidem]. a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) lvii. 4 in C. Horstmann (1896) II. 188 Wodenes to þo after lickenesse Of a snake in wildernes; Als of a neddre def als-swa Þat stoppand es his eres twa. a1425 (Stonyhurst) f. 13v Cerastas, an horned adder. 1483 (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 250 A Neddyr, aspis, lacerta, stellio, bisilliscus, cicadrillus. a1500 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker (1884) I. 705 Hic ferastrix, a hornyde eddyre. 1611 Psalms lviii. 4 They are like the deafe adder [margin: or aspe] that stoppeth her eare. View more context for this quotation a1639 S. Marmion (1641) iv. sig. G4 Why did you send this serpent to my bosome, To pierce me through with greater cruelty, Than Cleopatra felt from stings of Adders? 1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante I. ix. 36 Adders and cerastes crept Instead of hair, and their fierce temples bound. 1964 68 319 Orestes had spoken of the adder that slew the eagle (Cho. 248–249). the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Lacertilia (lizards) > [noun] > family Anguidae > anguis fragilis (slow-worm or blindworm) a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iv. iii. 182 The blacke Toad, and Adder blew, The gilded Newt, and eyelesse venom'd Worme. View more context for this quotation 1758 W. Borlase 284 We have a kind of viper which we call the Long-cripple: It is the slow-worm or deaf-adder of authors. a1887 R. Jefferies (1889) 201 It is curious that in places where blindworms are often seen their innocuous nature should not be generally known. They are even called adders sometimes. the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > unspecified and miscellaneous types of 1698 J. Crull tr. C. Dellon i. xxvii. 85 The Adders on the Coast of Malabar... Some of them are not above an Inch thick, but 5 or 6 Feet long, and of a Greenish Colour... There is another kind of Adders in Malabar called by the Indians..the good Adder; and by the Portugueses Cobra capel. 1789 W. Paterson 164 The Puff Adder..has its name from blowing itself up to near a foot in circumference. 1816 G. Barker Jrnl. 12 July in (1996) 505/3 Worked at my peice [sic] of Land, Killed the first serpent I had seen alive in Africa, called a Night Adder. 1835 J. W. D. Moodie I. xv. 316 The puff-adder, the ring-hals, and the berg-adder, are very poisonous and very numerous. 1878 A. Aylward xii. 244 The horned adder—a rather rare variety—is one of the worst of these pests. 1902 XXV. 795/1 The death adder, the brown, the black, the superb, and the tiger snakes [of Australia]. 1931 Mar. 73/2 We have droves of skaapstekers, night-adders, and house snakes. 1958 R. Conant 185 Northern Copperhead... The Copperhead has many aliases—‘chunkhead’, ‘highland moccasin’, ‘pilot’, ‘adder’, etc. 2006 17 24/1 Greece is home to poisonous snakes of the Viperidae family, which belongs to the subgroup Viperinae (adders). the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Colubridae > member of genus Heterodon (hog-nose) 1842 J. E. DeKay iii. 52 The Hog-nosed Snake..is also called Dead Adder, Spreading Adder, Hog-nose and Buckwheat-nose. 1860 J. R. Bartlett (ed. 3) Blauser, the name given by the Dutch settlers to the hog-nosed snake... Other popular names in New York are Deaf-Adder and Buckwheat-nosed Adder. 1931 R. L. Ditmars vii. 72 H. contortrix is the common eastern species [of hognosed snake]... It is known as the Flat-headed ‘Adder’, Hissing ‘Adder’, and other names in keeping with its antics. 1958 R. Conant 157 Fox Snake... A serpent with many aliases—a ‘timber snake’ in Ohio.., a ‘pine snake’ in Wisconsin.., and a ‘spotted adder’ to many who cannot think of a better name. 2004 (Nexis) 28 July b3 The reptile is likely an eastern hognose, a harmless reptile locally nicknamed a puff adder but only because it acts like its lethal counterpart. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > order Odonata > member of (dragonfly) 1876 C. C. Robinson 37/1 Ether, a large light kind of fly. 1886 H. Cunliffe 35 Edther, the dragon-fly. 1935 in A. W. Boyd (1946) 95 A large dragon-fly was caught in a Royton (Lancashire) cotton-mill, and the harmless ‘edder’ inspired wonder and terror as well on account of the imagined sting in the tail. Compounds C1. General attributive, as adder bite, adder head, adder skin, adder-voice, etc. OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius (Vitell.) (1984) cxxxi. 168 Gyf hwylc man þas wyrte mid him hafað wið eall næddercyn [?a1200 Harl. 6258B næddrecun; L. generatione serpentium] he biþ trum. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. xci. 1348 Adder eiren beþ rounde and ful many, pale and wanne. a1425 (Stonyhurst) f. 34v Indumie, eddre skynnes. c1450 (1905) II. 416 (MED) He saw iiij neddyr-hedis knytt to-gedur. 1570 R. Sempill in J. Cranstoun (1891) I. 163 With helteris hie to ty on tre Thy poysonit edder stangis. 1591 in R. Pitcairn (1833) I. 245 Ane edder skyn. 1613 J. Stephens v. ii. sig. Q3v I do dare The vt-most of your franticke violence, Cast all thy Adder-stings vpon my heart. 1746 W. Ellis I. May xvi. 111 A hot Iron will extract the Venom of an Adder-bite. 1891 Apr. 464 The Bishop of Worcester's ‘admirable curing powder’, of which the principal ingredients seem to be adder-skins. 1946 E. Sitwell iii. 18 Adder-voices shrilling and hissing. 2004 G. Hatfield 319/1 Dried adder heads were valued in the Scottish Highlands as a cure for adder bite. 1508 W. Kennedy Flyting (Chepman & Myllar) in (1998) I. 218 Hangit, mangit, eddirstangit. 1596 F. Sabie Olde Worldes Trag. in sig. D2v Pale enuie left her Adder-haunted den, And rul'd on earth as supreame Queene of men. 1609 T. Heywood v. cviii Heare one was going, and in going spide By Adder-haird Medusa, and so stayes. ?a1808 X. 344 The adder-headed loach. Specific character, head very long, with scales on the top disposed like those on the heads of adders. 1819 J. H. Reynolds Pref. p. vii That fiend-like, vulture-souled, adder-fanged critic. 1874 A. C. Swinburne ii. xiii. 182 What could sting you so, What adder-headed thought or venomous dream? 1898 O. Wilde 7 The gallows-tree With its adder-bitten root. 1946 L. B. Lyon 29 Crunching the adder-coloured dung. 2005 C. R. Daileader i. 31 Her adder-haired, Moorish lover. C2. the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > charm or amulet the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > jewellery > jewellery of specific shape or form > [noun] > bead(s) 1694 E. Lhuyd Let. 18 Oct. in R. T. Gunther (1945) XIV. 247 An Adder-bead or Glain Neidr of green glass. 1715 R. Thoresby 494 There are none of the Adder-beads to be met with in Ireland, that country having no Snakes. 1889 18 204 Some of the skeletons wore on the neck glass beads with spirals of different colours, the adder's bead of the Britons. 1999 S. C. Williams iii. 74 ‘Fairy’ or ‘adder’ beads were worn to prevent nightmares. 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay xvii. 310 This Deuill which hath marred..the whole earth was a Serpent, (whom he calleth ὀϕιογενῆ or ὀϕιόνιον (?), that is to say, Snakebread or Adderbread [Fr. race serpentine],) which armeth men by whole troopes against God. 1870 W. Morris 85 When song arose From that Northumbrian adder-close. 1893 A. Lang xvi. 397 Atli treacherously got Gunnar and Hogni and the other Niblungs into his power, cut out Hogni's heart, and put Gunnar in the adder-close. the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > [adjective] > emotionally blind or deaf the mind > will > decision > obstinacy or stubbornness > [adjective] > inflexible 1597 G. Markham tr. G. Pétau de Maulette xxv. f. 5 Adder-deafe eares they haue when wisedome charmes, Wilfull in ill, ilnesse beyond conceite, Foolish to shun, wise to draw on their harmes, Rich to deceiue themselues by selfe deceite. 1617 H. Fitzgeffrey iii. sig. E7v To bee made Adder-deafe with Pippin-crye. 1716 M. Davies II. To Rdr. p. xxiii Such Adder-Deaf, Impitoyable, and Inhospitable Gentlemen. 1832 T. Campbell in Jan. 92 O, heartless men of Europe—Goth and Gaul! Cold, adder-deaf to Poland's dying shriek. 1997 (Nexis) 12 Apr. 4 Adder deaf and stone blind, Mitchel concludes, ‘and if so then doomed to destruction irretrievable, signal and unpitied’. lOE (Corpus Cambr.) (1994) 162 He [sc. a devil] wæs swiðe mycel on dracan heowe and eall he wæs nædderfah. 1920 E. Sitwell 21 Adder-flames flare and spout From his lips. 1761 R. Dodsley ii. 89 Libellulæ, Dragon Flies, or Adder Flies, are a beautiful Insect. 1794 J. Morse 177 Dragon Fly. Adder Fly... Libellula.—Several species. 1885 E. Douglas iii. i. 63 Steel-blue adderflies with needle shape. 1565 A. Golding tr. Ovid i. f. 3 When with their hundred handes a piece the adderfooted rout, Did practise for to conquere heauen. 1621 W. Slatyer i. ii. 7 Yet who so lookes on this our Time, Might scarce thinke, th' Adder-footed line Of Gyants were extinct, to see Heauens scorne so rife on earth to bee. the mind > emotion > hatred > [noun] > fierce or virulent hatred 1880 Mar. 431 Hated with the adder-hate of fear. 1818 A. Eaton (ed. 2) ii. 313 Malaxis..ophioglossoides (adder mouth..). 1940 40 206 Malaxis unifolia Mx. Green Adder-mouth. 1688 R. Holme ii. xix. 480/1 He beareth Gules, an Adder Pike, (of some called a Sharpling or Netter,) proper. It is a Fish..: It hath..two triangular like fins, with sharp spines or thorns standing out at the gills; the like on the neck, from which to the end of the tail. 1884 R. F. Burton i. 11 The sting-fish or adder-pike (Trachinus vipera) has necessitated amputation of the wounded limb. 1983 P. S. Auerbach & B. W. Halstead in P. S. Auerbach & E. C. Geehr viii. 242/1 Common names for the weeverfish include the adderpike, sea dragon, sea cat, and stang. 1540 in J. Strype (1721) I. vi. 232 You serpents, adders-fry, how wil ye escape the judgment of God? the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Caryophyllaceae (chickweeds and allies) > [noun] > chickweeds and stitchworts 1853 A. Pratt II. 9 It [sc. greater stitchwort] was called in early times White-flowered grass, and is now known in country places as the Satin Flower, and Adder's meat. 1920 9 Mar. 19/6 The starry stitchwort..is in some country districts called ‘adders' meat’, from a notion that the serpent feeds on this unbaleful herbage. 1996 223 Greater Stitchwort (so called for its ‘property in helping stitches and pains in the sides’). Satin Flower, Adder's Meat, Moon Flower and others. 1843 J. Torrey II. 268 Microstylis monophylles,..Short-stalked Adder's-mouth..[grows in] deep shady swamps. 1901 C. T. Mohr 457 Acroanthes unifolia..Green Addersmouth. 1927 8 200 One-blades, Malaxis spp.—The common name of these plants is often given as ‘Adder's mouth’. 2002 R. D. Porcher & D. A. Rayner 82 Green adder's mouth (Malaxis unifolia) and southern twayblade..are rarities that are commonly found in beech forests in the coastal plain. the world > plants > particular plants > ferns > [noun] > adder's tongue a1400 in T. Hunt (1989) 244 [Spica Celtica] neddre-spere.] 1714 M. Kettilby 132 Take of the tender Tops of the Bay-Tree, Red-Sage,..Rosemary, Adders-spear, Golden-Rod, [etc.]. 1864 T. Moore 17 The common Adder's-tongue is gathered by country-people for the preparation of adder's-spear ointment. 1938 W. N. Clute (ed. 2) 68 Adder's-spear, adder's-spit and other names formerly in use [for Ophioglossum], all refer to a fancied resemblance between the plant and the adder. the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > charm or amulet > stone or gem the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > jewellery > jewellery of specific shape or form > [noun] > bead(s) 1587 A. Golding tr. Solinus xlix. sig. Y.ivv (margin) The Echite or Adderstone. 1699 E. Lhuyd Let. 15 Dec. in R. T. Gunther (1945) XIV. 419 These amulets [of the Druids]..may be rendered in English; Snake-buttons or Adderstones, Cock-knee-stones, toad-stones, Snail-stones, & Mole-stones. 1759 W. Mason 10 The potent adder-stone, Gender'd 'fore th' autumnal moon. 1793 D. Ure ii. 131 The adder-stone..is thought by superstitious people to possess many wonderful properties. 2001 M. Campbell iv. 194 Adder-stones or witch-stones, as they were sometimes known, have natural holes in them and were frequently tied with string, before being suspended from the rafters, to ward off witches. 1770 R. Weston I. 97 Adder-tongued-leaved Epidendrum. 1823 W. Scott III. viii. 209 What was it the old, adder-tongued madwoman dared to say of Clara Mowbray? 1938 2 i. 26/1 The smallest of the adder-tongued ferns..is a most common midwinter plant. 2001 (Nexis) 15 Nov. (Living section) 8 Graham is..playing the leading role, the adder-tongued know-it-all Sheridan Whiteside. Derivatives 1590 T. Lodge f. 19 All Adder-like I stop mine eares (fond swaine) So charme no more, for I will neuer change. 1592 A. Day 2nd Pt. Eng. Secretorie xi. 141 in (rev. ed.) What a hell then is he driuen into whose serpentine and more then adder like disposition shall be such as would terrifie a thousand Deuilles. 1611 R. Cotgrave Couleuvrin,..adderlike, of an adder. 1613 R. Niccols sig. D3 Wretched England, now I turne to thee To sound heauens iudgements in thy sottish eares, And if still deafe thou Adder-like wilt be, [etc.]. 1747 51 You Gentlemen of the Rabble Generation, know, we are not disposed at present to be disturbed with your Adder-like Musick. 1773 G. Howard iv. vi. 56 Thou monster of the heart! That adder-like, still wound'st the fost'ring bosom, Nulling the ties of harmony and love. 1814 Ld. Byron i. xiv. 21 Worm-like 'twas trampled—adder-like avenged. 1843 C. F. Briggs Haunted Merchant iv. ix, in 324 He turned an adder-like ear to all his oaths and protestations. 1989 (Nexis) 14 Oct. m12 A lapsed Catholic, eager to measure our scorn, he pounces on it, adder-like. In his novel True Confessions. 2007 G. Bloom iii. 149 He is responsible for instilling in Miranda this adder-like instinct for aural closure. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online June 2022). addern.2Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: add v., -er suffix1. Etymology: < add v. + -er suffix1. With sense 2 compare earlier adding machine n. the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > one who or that which increases 1547 Queen Katherine Parr sig. G.vv Ye transgressours, adders, and diminishers of the lawe of god, shall receyue eternal damnacion, for theyr iust reward. 1578 T. White 70 Obedience is better than sacrifice, and the holy Ghost alwayes wiser than menne: God is true, and all men are liers: the golde that is purified seuentimes, is not so perfect as his worde: wherefore all adders too, or takers fro, are accursed. 1614 P. Forbes Epist. Recusant 5 in Not onely open perverters and direct oppugners of foundamentall points, but also adders of anie other to that only one foundation. 1697 J. Sergeant 207 But, 'tis taken only from our side, who are the Adders, or Multipliers; and so, means only that we can never come to take so much of it, but more may by us be still taken. 1917 H. J. Watt vii. 130 I do not..mean to imply that the Greeks or any others actually thought of the series of intervals of their scales cyclically. They may well have done so, but it is not necessary that they should, any more than it is necessary for every adder to think of numbers as lengths. 1953 27 44/1 A mere recognition and classification of the kind of animals we have on hand. This..is the work of the divider, never of the adder and multiplier. 1995 R. D. Heslep ix. 168 Middle-class people rarely are leaders of the United States or adders to the value of the nation's economy. the world > relative properties > number > mathematical instruments > [noun] > arithmetical instrument 1856 I. G. Hubbs 1/1 I..have invented an Improved Machine for the Summation of Numbers, which I term ‘Hubbs' Adder’. 1890 Jan. (advt.) The Adder is so called because really too simple to be styled a ‘machine’. 1949 56 351 Part I..is devoted mainly to a discussion of the basic principles underlying mechanical and electro-mechanical counters, adders and multipliers. 1993 J. W. Cortada (2000) iii. 57 The machine..had the adding capability of a Comptrograph-type adder. 1933 1/2 The potentiometers are adapted to be connected by the switches S1, S2, and S3 with the input side of the vacuum tube V1 that acts as a voltage adder. 1938 57 723/1 Electric adder to the base two. 1946 A. W. Burks in (1985) 91 The customary method of representing negative numbers by affixing a negative sign..is ordinarily not used in a computer because it requires that the computer have a subtractor (with facilities for borrowing) as well as an adder (with facilities for carrying). 1956 3/2 A schematic illustration of a typical full adder utilized in the arithmetic circuits. 1989 P. Horowitz & W. Hill (ed. 2) viii. 559/2 Now design a 4×4 multiplier along the same lines, this time using three 4-bit full adders..and sixteen 2-input gates. 2008 39 180/1 An optimization may bring the logic delay of the 32-bit Kogge–Stone adder down to just 1.9 ns. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1eOEn.21547 |