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Origin and history of viper

viper(n.)

early 15c., from Old French vipere, earlier in English as vipera (c. 1200), directly from Latin vipera "viper, snake, serpent," which is a contraction of *vivipera, from vivus "alive, living" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + parire "bring forth, bear" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, bring forth"). In common with many snake species in cooler climates, the viper's eggs are in most instances kept inside the mother until hatching. Applied to persons of spiteful character at least since 1590s.

In warm countries they are very dangerous or fatal. It is the only venomous snake found in Great Britain, but the species there is not especially dangerous. Applied in U.S. erroneously to various innocuous snakes. The word replaced native adder.

"The flesh of the viper was formerly regarded as possessing great nutritive or restorative properties, and was frequently used medicinally" [OED, 1989]. The medicinal use was noted by early 15c.; hence viper-wine, wine medicated with some kind of extract from vipers, used 17c. by "gray-bearded gallants" in a bid "to feele new lust, and youthfull flames agin" [Massinger]; also viper-broth (1707), which supposedly was invigorating. Compare snake oil.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to viper

adder(n.)

Middle English naddre, from Old English (West Saxon) næddre (Mercian nedre, Northumbrian nedra), "a snake; the Serpent in the Garden of Eden," from Proto-Germanic *naethro "a snake" (source also of Old Norse naðra, Middle Dutch nadre, Old High German natra, German Natter, Gothic nadrs), from PIE root *nētr- "snake" (source also of Latin natrix "water snake" (the sense is probably by folk-association with nare "to swim"); Old Irish nathir, Welsh neidr "snake, serpent").

The modern form represents a faulty separation 14c.-16c. of a nadder into an adder, for which see also apron, auger, nickname, orange, humble pie, aitchbone, umpire. Nedder is still a northern English dialect form.

Since Middle English the word has been restricted to use as the common name of the viper, the only venonous British reptile (though not generally fatal to humans), then by extension it was applied to venomous or similar snakes elsewhere (puff-adder, etc.). 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.

snake oil(n.)

"phony cure, quack remedy," 1927, American English, from the use of oil derived from the fat of snakes (especially the rattlesnake) as a folk remedy in the rural regions of the U.S. Snake oil in this sense is attested by 1858: it was said to heal rheumatism and gout in Georgia, but was touted as a cure for deafness in rural Pennsylvania.

Professional pharmacy journals began to condemn it early 20c., not because it was quackery but because products sold under the name had no real snake oil in them.

What is known as snake oil is usually a combination which is handed out by the dealer to satisfy the demand of some credulous customer. A genuine oil of course is that which is obtained by "trying out" the fat of a snake, usually the rattlesnake, and to preserve their faces druggists sometimes employ a small proportion of such oil in preparing the weird mixtures dispensed by them. [The Practical Druggist, July 1912]

The belief in the healing power of snake is ancient. Compare Middle English triacle, tiriacle, "snake flesh used as an antidote against snake-bites," variants of theriac "antidote to a poison," from Greek thēriakē, fem. and neuter of thēriakos "pertaining to wild beasts or poisonous reptiles," from thērion, diminutive of thēr "wild beast, beast of prey" (from PIE root *ghwer- "wild beast"). The flesh of a viper was formerly held to be a necessary ingredient of it. Also see adder.