serpent en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈsɜːpənt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈsɝpənt/ (General-American)
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *serp- Proto-Indo-European *sérpeti Proto-Italic *serpō Latin serpō Latin serpēns Old French serpentbor. Middle English serpent English serpent From Middle English serpent, from Old French serpent (“snake, serpent”), from Latin serpēns (“snake”), present active participle of serpere (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-Italic *serpō, from Proto-Indo-European *serp-. In this sense, displaced native Old English nǣdre (“snake, serpent”), whence Modern English adder. Compare Sanskrit सर्प (sarpa, “snake”), which is a descendant of the same Proto-Indo-European word as serpent.
Meanings
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(archaic, literary) A snake.
Any serpent six feet long looks formidable; and over that length, one takes on the aspect of a chimera.
1946 October, Archibald Rutledge, “Along Nature's Trail”, in Boys' Life, volume 36, number 10, Boy Scouts of America, Inc., →ISSN, page 40:He falls into it, who has digg'd a Pit. Who breaks a Hedge is with a Serpent bit.
1712, A. Hill, chapter 9, in The Book of Ecclesiastes Paraphrased. A Divine Poem., Newcastle upon Tyne: J. White, page 38:Coiled up behind the shrub, […] was a green imamba, the most dreaded of all South African serpents.
1879, Charles H. Eden, chapter III, in Ula, in Veldt and Laager: A Tale of the Zulus., copyright edition, Hamburg: Karl Grädener, page 45:
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(alt-of, archaic, literary) A snake. ▸ Alternative letter-case form of Serpent.
alt of Serpent
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A snake-like creature, such as a sea serpent.
Then Beowulf too rallied. With his whetted dagger he slit a gash in the serpent's middle.
1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 46:
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(figuratively) A person who is subtle, malicious, treacherous, or deceiving.
'Dogs and serpents,' She began in a low voice that gradually gathered power as she went on, till the place rang with it. Eaters of human flesh, two things have ye done. First, ye have attacked these strangers, being white men, and would have slain their servant, and for that alone death is your reward.'
1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:He is a very serpent in my way.
c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
- An obsolete wind instrument in the brass family, whose shape is suggestive of a snake (Wikipedia article).
- A kind of firework with a serpentine motion.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| serpents | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
serpentess (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpent star (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpentry (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpent gourd (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpentlike (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpopard (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpentkind (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpenticide (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpent seed (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpentwood (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpenticonic (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpent-grass (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpentist (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpent cucumber (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpently (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpentarium (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpenticidal (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpenticone (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpent-eater (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpent radish (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpent's tongue (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · fiery serpent (Terms derived from “serpent”) · serpent eagle (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpent grass (Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”) · serpentize (Terms derived from “serpent”)
Holonyms
reptile (Of the sense “a snake”)
Hyponyms
ouroboros (Of the sense “a snake”) · Airavata (Of the sense “a snake”) · amaru (Of the sense “a snake”) · amphisbaena (Of the sense “a snake”) · Pharaoh's serpent (Of the sense “a firework”) · sea serpent (Of the sense “a snake”) · Da (Of the sense “a snake”) · amphiptere (Of the sense “a snake”)
Meronyms
spire (Of the sense “a snake”) · snakeskin (Of the sense “a snake”) · rattle (Of the sense “a snake”)
Relateds
Serpens (Terms derived from Latin “serpēns”) · serpentiform (Terms derived from Latin “serpēns”) · serpentine (Terms derived from Latin “serpēns”) · serpentigenous (Terms derived from Latin “serpēns”)
Synonyms
snake · serpent · ratter · betrayer · recreant · adder (Terms derived from Germanic roots) · backstabber · backstabber · ophidian (Terms derived from Latin) · treasonist · rat · double-crosser · swike · snake (Terms derived from Germanic roots) · treacher · quisling · wolf in sheep's clothing · edder (Terms derived from Germanic roots) · snake in the grass · withersake · cockatrice · renegade · treacherer · turntippet · double-crosser · traitor · remora (Terms derived from Latin)
Translations (102)
sh zmija (snake) · nl serpent (snake) · br naer (snake) · cmn 蛇 (snake) · nah coatl (snake) · uga 𐎐𐎈𐎌 (snake) · ks سَرُف (snake) · sh guja (snake) · qu amaru (snake) · pt serpente (snake) · it serpente (snake) · pt serpentão (musical instrument) · gl bicha (snake) · gv ardnieu (snake) · ar حَنَش (snake) · la coluber (snake) · he נָחָשׁ (snake) · arz تعبان (snake) · cs had (snake) · fa مار (snake) · ru змея́ (snake) · es sierpe (snake) · az ilan (snake) · el φίδι (snake) · lut bə́c'əc (snake) · grc ἑρπετόν (snake) · grc ὄφις (snake) · ar أَفْعَى (snake) · pl wąż (snake) · bg змия (snake) · ang nædre (snake) · gl serpe (snake) · nl serpent (musical instrument) · fa اربد (snake) · cmn 蛇號 /蛇号 (musical instrument) · uga 𐎁𐎘𐎐 (snake) · de Wurm (snake) · fr serpent (snake) · br sarpant (snake) · ar ثُعْبَان (snake) · de Serpent (musical instrument) · ca serp (snake) · txb sarpe (snake) · sa अहि (snake) · oc sèrp (snake) · enm naddere (snake) · he שָׂרָף (snake) · cy sarff (snake) · yi שלאַנג (snake) · lv čūska (snake) · ar حَيَّة (snake) · el ερπετό (snake) · chk serepenit (snake) · om bofa (snake) · ka გველი (snake) · ota ییلان (snake) · ja 蛇 (snake) · ro șarpe (snake) · oj ginebig (snake) · id ular (snake) · is höggormur (snake) · mi nākahi (snake) · egy H-f:Aw-w-I14 (snake) · ca serpentó (musical instrument) · es serpiente (snake) · sw joka (snake) · ks سَرُپھ (snake) · it serpe (snake) · sv orm (snake) · es serpentón (musical instrument) · hy օձ (snake) · nl slang (snake) · la serpēns (snake) · vo snek (snake) · ja セルパン (musical instrument) · ang nǣddre (snake) · tr yılan (snake) · ca serpent (snake) · sa सर्प (snake) · fur sarpint (snake) · eo serpento (snake) · fi serpentti (musical instrument) · vo särpentum (musical instrument) · la anguis (snake) · ak aboateaa (snake) · is naðra (snake) · hu kígyó (snake) · tt елан (snake) · hu szerpent (musical instrument) · enm addere (snake) · yue 蛇 (snake) · gv aarnieu (snake) · de Schlange (snake) · it serpente (musical instrument) · mk зми́ја (snake) · fi käärme (snake) · pdt Schlang (snake) · it serpentone (musical instrument) · wa sierpint (snake) · da slange (snake) · ast culiebra (snake) · ko 뱀 (snake)