[ 'vʌɪpə ]
■ noun
1》 a venomous snake with large hinged fangs, typically with dark patterns on a lighter background. [ Vipera berus (the adder) and other species, family Viperidae.]
2》 a spiteful or treacherous person.
Derivatives
~ine -rʌɪn adjective
~ish adjective
~ous adjective
Origin
C16: from Fr. vipère or L. ~a , from vivus 'alive' + parere 'bring forth' (with ref. to the former belief that ~s bore live young).