Viper
/ˈvaɪ.pər/noun
A venomous snake, especially one with long hinged fangs.
Did you know?The Latin ancestor *vipera* was associated with live-bearing snakes, and English later inherited the word as a feared emblem of treachery and poison.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷih₃w-
“to live”
Latin
Latin
vipera
“a venomous snake, especially a viper; originally associated with live birth”
Late Latin
Latin
vipera
“viper, venomous snake”
Old French
Old French
viper
“viper, venomous snake”
Middle English
English
viper
“a venomous snake”
Modern English
English
viper
“a venomous snake; figuratively, a treacherous or malicious person”
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