copperhead

noun

cop·​per·​head ˈkä-pər-ˌhed 

plural copperheads

1

: a common pit viper (Agkistrodon contortrix) of the eastern and central U.S. usually having a copper-colored head and often a reddish-brown hourglass pattern on the body

2

disapproving : a person in the northern states who sympathized with the South during the American Civil War

Illustration of copperhead

• copperhead 1

Examples of copperhead in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Six months later, construction still hasn't started Beautiful, shy but venomous, copperheads are out in CT. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2024

The slithering attacker, an 18-inch corn snake that looks like a dangerous copperhead but has no venom, was removed by NYPD cops and taken to an animal shelter in Queens. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 June 2024

Although rescuers initially thought the dog had injured his leg, animal control said Friday that he'd actually been bitten by a copperhead snake. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 17 June 2024

Warm weather leads to more copperhead and rattlesnake activity in Charlotte, meaning the chances of a bite are significantly higher. —Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

copperhead

noun

cop·​per·​head ˈkäp-ər-ˌhed 

1

: a common largely coppery brown poisonous snake of the pit viper family that occurs in the eastern and central U.S.

2

: a person in the northern states who sympathized with the South during the American Civil War

Medical Definition

copperhead

noun

cop·​per·​head ˈkäp-ər-ˌhed 

1

: a pit viper (Agkistrodon contortrix) widely distributed in upland areas of the eastern and central United States that typically attains a length of three feet (0.9 meter), is coppery brown above with dark transverse blotches, and is capable of inflicting a very painful but rarely fatal bite

2

: a very venomous but sluggish Australian elapid snake of the genus Denisonia (D. superba)