Also 8 -in. [ad. L. vīperīn-us (hence OF. viperin, F. vipérin, It., Sp. and Pg. viperino), f. vīpera VIPER: See -INE1.]
1. Resembling a viper or that of a viper; having the nature or character of a viper; venomous, viperous; viper-like. Chiefly in fig. or allusive use (cf. VIPER 3).
a. 1500. Image Hypocr., II. 291, in Skelton’s Wks. (1843), II. 426. His county pallantyne Haue coustome colubryne, With codes viperyne And sectes serpentyne.
1604. R. Cawdrey, Table Alph. (1613), Viperine, like a viper, or of a viper.
1648. E. Simmons, Pref. to Wodenote’s Herm. Theol., A 8 b. If ever the Title of Rex diabolorum was rightly applyable to the King of this land, ’tis since the viperine birth of these miscreants.
1657. J. Sergeant, Schism Dispach’t, 22. Lingua viperea! Viperine tongue!
1697. Evelyn, Numism., ix. 299. Cæsar Borgia’s Viperine Aspect.
1716. M. Davies, Athen. Brit., II. 150. Of all the Poetick Salts,… the Satyrical [is] most Viperin and Piercing, the Eclogist and Idilian the most Country-wise and Native.
1873. Routledge’s Yng. Gentl. Mag., June, 401/1. He [a grass-snake] raised himself up in true viperine fashion.
† b. fig. Of glosses (see VIPER 3 a). Obs.
1647. Trapp, Comm. Matt. v. 22. Our Saviour … taking away their viperine glosses that did eat out the bowels of the text.
1648. Commoner’s Liberty, 18. Had he any other way to weaken what must of necessity be inferred from them, but by such viperine glosses.
c. Of persons.
1652. Gaule, Magastrom., 362. Archilocus, a viperine satyrist, and not onely so, but a petulant obscure poet.
1716. M. Davies, Athen. Brit., II. To Rdr. 40. Implacable Enemies of the most invenemated Viperin, or rather Draconick kind, who are … continually gnawing and corroding the very Bowels … of the Church of England.
1845. Browning, Lett. (1899), I. 48. A viperine she-friend of mine who, I think, rather loves me, she does so hate me.
1903. Times, 16 Dec., 11/5. The convention of the virtuous heroine and the viperine adventuress.
2. Of or pertaining to a viper; obtained from or natural to vipers.
1608. Topsell, Serpents, 286. They [tortoises] eate Origan, for that herbe is an antidote against Viperine poyson for them.
1684. trans. Bonet’s Merc. Compit., X. 347. Viperine Medicines are good in the Itch and Leprosie.
1702. R. Mead, Poisons, 33. The main Efficacy of the Viperine Flesh is to quicken the Circle of the Blood.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Viper, The Virus … proves a nimble Vehicle to carry the Viperine Spicula almost every where suddenly.
1851. W. J. Broderip, Leaves fr. Note Bk. Nat. (1852), 224. The viperine remedy had classical authority for its ministration.
1904. Brit. Med. Jrnl., 17 Sept., 670. These two being examples of mixed colubrine and viperine poisons.
3. Zool. Of snakes: Resembling or related to the common viper; now spec. belonging to the suborder Viperina (Solenoglypha).
1802. Shaw, Gen. Zool., III. II. 355. Viperine Boa. Boa Viperina.
1870. Gillmore, trans. Figuier’s Reptiles & Birds, ii. 41. His Venomous Colubrine Snakes have certainly a much nearer resemblance in other respects to the Colubridæ than they have to the Viperine Snakes. Ibid., 47. The Viperine Snake (Tropidonotus viperinus)…. This is the smallest of all the European Colubridæ.
1887. Günther, in Encycl. Brit., XXII. 191/1. The poison of Viperine snakes invariably destroys its coagulability.
4. sb. Zool. A snake belonging to the Viperina.
1887. Günther, in Encycl. Brit., XXII. 191/1. In the other venomous snakes (Viperines and Crotalines) the maxillary bone is very short. Ibid., 198/2. The Death Adder … differs from the other Viperines in having the poison-fang permanently erect.
