Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
sidewinder [sahyd-wahyn-der] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- a severe swinging blow from the side.
- a rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, of southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, that has a hornlike projection over each eye and that moves in loose sand by raising loops on the body and displacing them sideways.
- any Old World snake that moves by sidewinding, as various species of Bitis and Cerastes.
- (initial capital letter) an air-to-air, supersonic weapon that intercepts and destroys enemy aircraft using an infrared homing-guidance system.
Origin of sidewinder First recorded in 1830–40; side1 + winder Examples from the Web for sidewinder Historical Examples of sidewinder
The sidewinder is of a grayish color, mottled with dark blotches.
Arthur J. Burdick
Yknow what the sidewinder, Bronco, babbled fore he passed out?
Ralph Bennitt
Pete walked over a sidewinder & Bud shot him ten ft. in air.
B. M. Bower
Once a sidewinder, almost invisible against the sand, looped away from the intruders with smooth deliberation.
Charles Willard Diffin
He had read that the sidewinder, or “horned” rattlesnake, was common in the Western deserts.
Harold Leland Goodwin
British Dictionary definitions for sidewinder sidewinder noun
- a North American rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, that moves forwards by a sideways looping motion
- boxing, US a heavy swinging blow from the side
- a US air-to-air missile using infrared homing aids in seeking its target
Word Origin and History for sidewinder n.
small horned rattlesnake of southwestern U.S., 1875, American English, from side (adj.) + agent noun of wind (v.), so called in reference to its “peculiar lateral progressive motion.” Also sidewiper (1888).