serpent

C2+ Topic:Animals

Also spelled sairpents

US /ˈsɜrpənt/ UK /ˈsɜːpənt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a snake, especially a large or symbolically evil one

A serpent coiled silently among the temple stones.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a snake, especially a large... snake viper reptile adderophidian

Word family

Derived forms serpentineserpentileserpenthood

Related forms serpentine reptile

Simplified etymology

Serpent entered Middle English from Latin serpere, meaning “to crawl or creep.” Its name therefore reflects the animal’s characteristic movement along the ground.

Etymology

From Old French serpent, from Latin serpentem (nominative serpens), 'creeping thing, snake', the present participle of serpere ('to creep'), from Proto-Indo-European *serp- ('to crawl, creep').

serpens Latin serpere Latin *serp- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Animals Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# serpent

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɜrpənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɜːpənt/

## Meanings
1. a snake, especially a large or symbolically evil one

## Examples
- A serpent coiled silently among the temple stones.

## Synonyms
- snake
- viper
- reptile
- adder
- ophidian

## Derived Forms
- serpentine
- serpentile
- serpenthood

## Related Forms
- serpentine
- reptile

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: serpens
- Root: serpere
- Root: *serp-

## Etymology
From Old French serpent, from Latin serpentem (nominative serpens), 'creeping thing, snake', the present participle of serpere ('to creep'), from Proto-Indo-European *serp- ('to crawl, creep').

## AI Etymology
Serpent comes from Old French serpent, from Latin serpentem (nominative serpens), 'creeping thing, snake', the present participle of serpere ('to creep'), from Proto-Indo-European *serp- ('to crawl, creep'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun, it denotes "a snake, especially a large or symbolically evil one", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Latin serpens, Latin serpere, and Proto-Indo-European *serp-. Derivative forms include serpentine, serpentile, serpenthood; related words include serpentine, reptile.

## Topics
- Animals
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown