sidewinder

UK: /ˈsaɪdˌwaɪndə/ US: (sīd′wīn′dər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

side•wind•er  (sīd′wīn′dər), n. 

1. a severe swinging blow from the side.
2. Reptiles 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.
3. Reptiles any Old World snake that moves by sidewinding, as various species of Bitis and
   Cerastes.
4. (cap.) an air-to-air, supersonic weapon that intercepts and destroys enemy aircraft using an infrared homing-guidance system.

• side¹ + winder 1830–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sidewinder / ˈsaɪdˌwaɪndə/ noun

1. a North American rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, that moves forwards by a sideways looping motion
2. a heavy swinging blow from the side