# sidewinder

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsaɪd.waɪn.dɚ/ · frequency rank #55,105

## Definitions
1. A North American rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, that inhabits lowland deserts.
2. A person who is untrustworthy and dangerous.
3. A heavy swinging blow from the side which disables an adversary.
4. A pitcher who throws sidearm.
5. A type of middle-distance deep-sea trawler widely used during the 1960s and 1970s.
6. A rollercoaster element where riders enter a half-loop followed by a half-corkscrew, and exit perpendicular to the direction of entry.

## Etymology
From side + winder (“one who winds or wends, traveller”), from the sideways, looping manner in which they move.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sidewinder