Wikipedia: Adder

Difference (from prior minor revision) (major diff)

Changed: 1,13c1,13

ADDER, a name for the common viper ( Vipera cevus), ranging '
from Wales to Saghalien island, and from Caithness to the north '
of Spain. The puff-adder (Bitis s. Echidna arietans) of '
nearly the whole of Africa, and the death-adder (Acanthophis '
antarcticus) from Australia to the Moluccas, are both very '
poisonous (see VIPER). The word was in Old Eng. noedre, '
later nadder or naddre; in the 14th century "a nadder" '
was, like "a napron," wrongly divided into "an adder." It '
appears with the generic meaning of "serpent" in the older '
forms of many Teutonic languages, cf. Old High Ger. natra; '
Goth. nadrs. It is thus used in the Old Eng. version of '
the Scriptures for the devil, the "serpent" of Genesis. '
'

An adder is a name for the common viper? (Vipera cevus), ranging
from Wales to Saghalien island, and from Caithness to the north
of Spain. The puff-adder (Bitis s. Echidna arietans) of
nearly the whole of Africa, and the death-adder (Acanthophis
antarcticus) from Australia to the Moluccas, are both very
poisonous (see VIPER). The word was in Old Eng. noedre,
later nadder or naddre; in the 14th century a nadder
was, like a napron, wrongly divided into an adder. It
appears with the generic meaning of serpent? in the older
forms of many Teutonic languages, cf. Old High Ger. natra;
Goth. nadrs. It is thus used in the Old Eng. version of
the Scriptures for the devil, the serpent of Genesis.

Changed: 17c17

Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed

An adder is a name for the common viper? (Vipera cevus), ranging from Wales to Saghalien island, and from Caithness to the north of Spain. The puff-adder (Bitis s. Echidna arietans) of nearly the whole of Africa, and the death-adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) from Australia to the Moluccas, are both very poisonous (see VIPER). The word was in Old Eng. noedre, later nadder or naddre; in the 14th century a nadder was, like a napron, wrongly divided into an adder. It appears with the generic meaning of serpent? in the older forms of many Teutonic languages, cf. Old High Ger. natra; Goth. nadrs. It is thus used in the Old Eng. version of the Scriptures for the devil, the serpent of Genesis.

Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed