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

The Australian Museum in Sydney said on its website that copperhead snakes have powerful neurotoxic venom and that a bite can be fatal without medical attention. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 28 Oct. 2024

Snakes native to western North Carolina include the copperhead, said Duke’s Dr. Sean Bush, an emergency medicine physician. —NBC News, 1 Oct. 2024

The manager's footage shows the copperhead resting on top of the dryer while Perry explains the circumstances. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 25 Sep. 2024

The timber rattlesnake is one of two venomous snakes found in Connecticut — the other being the northern copperhead — and is extremely rare, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. —Dave Collins, Hartford Courant, 2 Aug. 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)