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Definition of snub-nosed viper
snub-nosed viper
Plural:snub-nosed vipers
snub-nosed viper Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
9
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A venomous snake belonging to the family Viperidae, characterized by a distinctively upturned or shortened snout, natively found in rocky habitats across southern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, and parts of North Africa (often referring specifically to Vipera ammodytes or Vipera latastei).
Example
"During their ecological survey in the Balkans, the herpetologists carefully documented a snub-nosed viper basking on a limestone outcrop."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the physical description of its snout ('snub' from Old Norse 'snubba', meaning 'to cut short') and 'viper' (from Latin 'vipera', meaning 'adder' or 'venomous snake').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Snub-nosed viper. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/snub-nosed viper