copperhead

Dictionary: cop·per·head (kŏp'ər-hĕd') pronunciation

A venomous snake (Agkistrodon contortrix) of the eastern and central United States, having a reddish-brown body marked with darker crossbands arranged in an hourglass pattern.
Copperhead A Northerner who sympathized with the South during the Civil War.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: copperhead

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Any of several unrelated species of snake named for their reddish head. The North American copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), also called the highland moccasin, is a pit viper of swampy, rocky, and wooded regions of the central and eastern U.S. It is usually less than 3 ft (1 m) long and is pinkish or reddish with a copper-coloured head and reddish brown, often hourglass-shaped crossbands on its back. Its venom is relatively weak, and a bite is rarely fatal to humans. The Australian copperhead is an elapid, and the Indian copperhead is a rat snake.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: copperhead

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copperhead, poisonous snake, Ancistrodon contortrix, of the E United States. Like its close relative, the water moccasin, the copperhead is a member of the pit viper family and detects its warm-blooded prey by means of a heat-sensitive organ behind the nostril. The body, which may reach a length of 4 ft (120 cm), is hazel brown with chestnut-colored crossbands above and pinkish white with dark spots below. The head is a pale copper color. Copperheads inhabit rocky areas with thick underbrush, even in heavily populated regions. They feed chiefly on small mammals, but will also capture large insects, frogs, and other snakes. They are most active in late afternoon and early evening. The young are born alive. Copperheads are not aggressive and usually attempt escape when threatened, but they strike swiftly if startled or attacked. The bite causes severe pain and illness in humans but is seldom fatal. Copperheads are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Crotalidae.

WordNet: copperhead

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: common coppery brown pit viper of upland eastern United States
Synonym: Agkistrodon contortrix

Meaning #2: venomous but sluggish reddish-brown snake of Australia
Synonym: Denisonia superba

Wikipedia: Copperhead

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Look up copperhead in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Copperhead may refer to:

Snakes:

Agkistrodon contortrix, a venomous pit viper species found in parts of North America.
Agkistrodon piscivorus, a.k.a. the cottonmouth, another venomous pit viper species found in North America.
Austrelaps, a genus of venomous elapids found in southern Australia and Tasmania.
Elaphe radiata, a.k.a. the copperhead rat snake, a non-venomous species found in southern Asia.
Deinagkistrodon acutus, a.k.a. the Chinese copperhead, a venomous pit viper species found in Southeast Asia.

Politics:

Copperheads (politics), Northern Peace Democrats who opposed the American Civil War, wanting an immediate peace settlement, named after the snakes.

Fictional characters:

"Copperhead", the codename of Vernita Green in the movie Kill Bill
Copperhead (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics supervillain and member of the Serpent Society
Copperhead (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics foe of Daredevil
Copperhead (DC Comics), a DC Comics supervillain and member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains

Other:

Copperhead, the second volume in the U.S. Civil War series “The Starbuck Chronicles” by Bernard Cornwell
Copperhead (band), a name used by a number of different music bands
Copperhead is an album by a band with the same name.
Copperhead (climbing), a small metal nut used in rock climbing
M712 Copperhead, a U.S. guided artillery shell
Copperhead, a gaming mouse by Razer USA
Dodge Copperhead, a more affordable, less-powerful model of the Dodge Viper, not produced.

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	Copperhead (1984 Horror Film)
	pit viper
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Copyrights:

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Copperhead". Read more