puff adder

1. 1.

   large African viper that inflates its body when alarmed

   SynonymsBitis arietans

   Broaderviper

   Part ofBitis
2. 2.

   harmless North American snake with upturned nose; may spread its head and neck or play dead when disturbed

   Synonymshognose snakesand viper

   Broadercolubrid snake

   Part ofHeterodon

Questions about puff adder

What does puff adder mean?

puff adder means "large African viper that inflates its body when alarmed". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for puff adder?

Close synonyms include Bitis arietans, hognose snake, sand viper. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is puff adder a common word?

puff adder is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.