See also: Serpent and sèrpent

English edit

Etymology edit

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 English serpent.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

serpent (plural serpents)

  1. (now literary) A snake, especially a large or dangerous one.
    • 1712, A. Hill, chapter 9, in The Book of Ecclesiastes Paraphrased. A Divine Poem.[1], Newcastle upon Tyne: J. White, page 38:
      He falls into it, who has digg'd a Pit.
      Who breaks a Hedge is with a Serpent bit.
    • 1879, Charles H. Eden, chapter III, in Ula, in Veldt and Laager: A Tale of the Zulus.[2], copyright edition, Hamburg: Karl Grädener, page 45:
      Coiled up behind the shrub, [] was a green imamba, the most dreaded of all South African serpents.
    • 1946 October, Archibald Rutledge, “Along Nature's Trail”, in Boys' Life[3], volume 36, number 10, Boy Scouts of America, Inc., →ISSN, page 40:
      Any serpent six feet long looks formidable; and over that length, one takes on the aspect of a chimera.
  2. (figurative) A subtle, treacherous, malicious person.
  3. (music) An obsolete wind instrument in the brass family, whose shape is suggestive of a snake (Wikipedia article).
  4. A kind of firework with a serpentine motion.

Synonyms edit

Terms derived from Germanic roots
Terms derived from Latin

Hyponyms edit

Of the sense “a snake”
Of the sense “a firework”

Meronyms edit

Of the sense “a snake”

Holonyms edit

Of the sense “a snake”

Derived terms edit

Terms derived from “serpent”
Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”

Related terms edit

Terms derived from Latin “serpēns

Translations edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb edit

serpent (third-person singular simple present serpents, present participle serpenting, simple past and past participle serpented)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To wind or meander
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To encircle.

See also edit

Anagrams edit

Catalan edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Latin serpentem, from serpō (crawl, creep).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

serpent m or f (plural serpents)

  1. snake
    Synonym: serp

Dutch edit

 
Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Etymology edit

From Middle Dutch serpent, from Old French serpent (snake, serpent), from Latin serpēns (snake), from the verb serpō (I creep, crawl).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

serpent n or f or m (plural serpenten, diminutive serpentje n)

  1. (formal, dated) snake
    Synonym: slang
  2. (formal) serpent, serpentine dragon, large snake
    Synonym: slang
  3. an unpleasant, spiteful or foulmouthed person, especially used of women
    Synonym: slang

Noun edit

serpent f (plural serpenten, diminutive serpentje n)

  1. (music) serpent (wind instrument)

Descendants edit

  • West Frisian: serpint

Anagrams edit

French edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Middle French serpent, from Old French serpent, from Latin serpentem, accusative form of serpēns, from serpō (crawl, creep).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

serpent m (plural serpents, feminine serpente)

  1. snake

Derived terms edit

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit

Latin edit

Verb edit

serpent

  1. third-person plural future active indicative of serpō

Middle French edit

Etymology edit

From Old French serpent, from Latin serpentem, accusative singular form of serpēns.

Noun edit

serpent m (plural serpenz)

  1. snake

Descendants edit

Old French edit

Etymology edit

From Latin serpēns, serpentem.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /serˈpẽnt/, (later) /serˈpãnt/

Noun edit

serpent oblique singularm (oblique plural serpenz or serpentz, nominative singular serpenz or serpentz, nominative plural serpent)

  1. snake

Descendants edit

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French serpent or English serpent.

Noun edit

serpent n (plural serpente)

  1. (music) serpent

Declension edit

Romansch edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Latin serpēns, serpentem.

Noun edit

serpent m (plural serpents)

  1. (Surmiran) snake

Synonyms edit

  • (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) serp
  • (Sursilvan) siarp
  • (Sutsilvan) zearp
  • (Surmiran) zerp