pit viper

noun

: any of various mostly New World vipers (subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae) with a sensory pit on each side of the head and hollow perforated retractable fangs

Examples of pit viper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sri Lanka also is home to all these snakes, but its most frequent envenoming is from the hump-nosed pit viper, for which no commercially available antivenom exists. Cassandra Willyard, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023 The institute produced more than 3,000 vials of antivenom targeting five species, including the hump-nosed pit viper. Cassandra Willyard, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023 According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, the timber rattlesnake — also called the American viper, black rattlesnake, eastern rattlesnake, timber rattler and canebrake — is a large pit viper with a wide distribution across the eastern half of the U.S. Muri Assuncao New York Daily News (tns), al, 14 Aug. 2022 The golden lancehead is a highly venomous pit viper. Joe Phelan, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2023 The Medo pit viper is still little understood by scientists. Brent Crane, Discover Magazine, 23 Dec. 2020 This is what the venom of the Russell’s pit viper does to blood. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 14 July 2012 Everything from barracudas and turtles to manatees — as well as alligators, crocodiles and the Florida cottonmouth, a venomous, semi-aquatic pit viper — have been found in its waters. Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 14 Dec. 2022 Clamp, Andrews and other experts say do not apply a tourniquet to a pit viper bite (which is something Vuncannon did). Forrest Brown, CNN, 24 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pit viper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pit viper was in 1874

Dictionary Entries Near pit viper

Cite this Entry

“Pit viper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pit%20viper. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pit viper

noun
: any of various mostly New World poisonous snakes that have a small pit on each side of the head and hollow fangs with holes in them

Medical Definition

pit viper

noun
: any of various mostly New World highly specialized venomous snakes (as the rattlesnake, copperhead, water moccasin, and fer-de-lance) that belong to a subfamily (Crotalinae) of the family Viperidae, that have a small depression on each side of the head between the eye and the nostril, and that have hollow perforated fangs usually folded back in the upper part of the mouth but erected in striking

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