A dialectal British term, now largely obsolete except in some regional speech, for a dragonfly. The name reflects old folk beliefs and rural superstition — 'adder' (a venomous snake) combined with 'bolt' (a dart or projectile), possibly suggesting the dragonfly was thought to be associated with snakes or to move like a bolt. Mainly of interest to linguists, folklore researchers, and enthusiasts of English dialect words. Rarely encountered in modern speech.
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The old farmer called it an adderbolt and warned the children to stay away, convinced it could sting like a snake.
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(now, UK, _, dialectal) A dragonfly.
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