adder的词源

英文词源

adder

adder: [OE] In Old English, the term for a snake (any snake, not just an adder) was nǣddre; there are or were related forms in many other European languages, such as Latin natrix, Welsh neidr, and German natter (but there does not seem to be any connection with the natterjack toad). Around the 14th century, however, the word began to lose its initial consonant. The noun phrase including the indefinite article, a nadder, became misanalysed as an adder, and by the 17th century nadder had disappeared from the mainstream language (though it survived much longer in northern dialects).

adder (n.)

Old English næddre "a snake, serpent, viper," from Proto-Germanic *nædro "a snake" (cognates: Old Norse naðra, Middle Dutch nadre, Old High German natra, German Natter, Gothic nadrs), from PIE root *netr- (cognates: Latin natrix "water snake," probably by folk-association with nare "to swim;" Old Irish nathir, Welsh neidr "adder").

The modern form represents a faulty separation 14c.-16c. into an adder, for which see also apron, auger, nickname, humble pie, umpire. Nedder is still a northern English dialect form. Folklore connection with deafness is via Psalm lviii:1-5. The adder is said to stop up its ears to avoid hearing the snake charmer called in to drive it away. Adderbolt (late 15c.) was a former name for "dragonfly."

中文词源

adder：宽蛇

来自古英语a naeddre 错切分成an aedder(双元音ae后变为a).可能最终来自词根sna, 游动，同snake,字母s脱落。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：adder 词源，adder 含义。

adder：蝰蛇　　

在英语中有若干个词由于发音方面的原因词形发生了变化，adder即为一例。该词在中古英语原作naddre或nadder。自14世纪起nadder的首字母n开始与前面的不定冠词a结合，a nadder逐渐地变成了an adder。情况类似的还有apron（围裙），auger（螺旋钻），eyas（小鸟），ouch（饰针），umpire（仲裁人）等词。adder原来泛指蛇或毒蛇，后来词义缩小了，现特指“蝰蛇”，一种毒蛇。(参见apron，nickname，umpire)