serpent

See also:Serpent,andsèrpent

English

Etymology

FromMiddle Englishserpent,fromOld Frenchserpent(“snake, serpent”),fromLatinserpēns(“snake”),present active participle ofserpere(“to creep, crawl”),fromProto-Italic*serpō,fromProto-Indo-European*serp-.In this sense, displaced nativeOld Englishnǣdre(“snake, serpent”),whenceModern Englishadder.

CompareSanskritसर्प(sarpa,“snake”),which is a descendant of the same Proto-Indo-European word asserpent.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):/ˈsɜːpənt/
• (General American)IPA^(key):/ˈsɝpənt/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation:ser‧pent

Noun

serpent(pluralserpents)

1. (nowliterary)Asnake,especially alargeordangerousone.
   • 1712,A. Hill, chapter 9, inThe Book of Ecclesiastes Paraphrased. A Divine Poem.‎^[1],Newcastle upon Tyne:J. White, page38:

     He falls into it, who has digg'd a Pit.
     Who breaks a Hedge is with aSerpentbit.

   • 1879,Charles H. Eden, chapter III, inUla, in Veldt and Laager: A Tale of the Zulus.‎^[2],copyright edition, Hamburg: Karl Grädener, page45:

     Coiled up behind the shrub,[…]was a greenimamba,the most dreaded of all South Africanserpents.

   • 1946October, Archibald Rutledge, “Along Nature's Trail”, inBoys' Life‎^[3],volume36,number10,Boy Scouts of America, Inc.,→ISSN,page40:

     Anyserpentsix feet long looks formidable; and over that length, one takes on the aspect of achimera.

2. (figurative)Asubtle,treacherous,maliciousperson.
   • c.1596(date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act III, scene iii]:

     He is a veryserpentin my way.

   • 1886October –1887January,H[enry] Rider Haggard,She: A History of Adventure,London:Longmans, Green, and Co.,published1887,→OCLC:

     'Dogs andserpents,'Shebegan 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.'

3. (music)An obsoletewind instrumentin thebrassfamily, whose shape is suggestive of a snake (Wikipedia article).
4. A kind offireworkwith aserpentinemotion.

Synonyms

Terms derived from Germanic roots

• adder(obsolete in some senses)
• edder(dialectal variant)
• snake

Terms derived from Latin

• ophidian
• remora(heraldry)

Hyponyms

Of the sense “a snake”

• Airavata
• amaru
• amphiptere
• amphisbaena
• Da
• ouroboros
• sea serpent

Of the sense “a firework”

• Pharaoh's serpent

Meronyms

Of the sense “a snake”

• rattle
• snakeskin
• spire

Holonyms

Of the sense “a snake”

• reptile

Derived terms

Terms derived from “serpent”

• fiery serpent
• serpentarium(noun)
• serpenticidal(adjective)
• serpenticide(noun)
• serpenticone(noun)
• serpenticonic(adjective)
• serpentist(noun)
• serpentize(verb)
• serpentkind(noun)
• serpentlike(adjective)
• serpentry(noun)
• serpopard(noun)

Attributive uses of the noun “serpent”

• serpent cucumber
• serpent eagle
• serpent-eater
• serpent gourd
• serpent-grass
• serpent radish
• serpent seed
• serpent star
• serpent's tongue
• serpentwood

Related terms

Terms derived from Latin “serpēns”

• Serpens(proper noun)
• serpentiform(adjective)
• serpentigenous(adjective)
• serpentine(adj/noun/verb)

Translations

snake

• Arabic:ثُعْبَانm(ṯuʕbān),حَنَشm(ḥanaš),حَيَّةf(ḥayya),أَفْعَىf(ʔafʕā)

  Egyptian Arabic:تعبانm(tiʕbān)

• Armenian:օձ(hy)(ōj)
• Azerbaijani:ilan(az)
• Breton:naer(br)f,sarpant(br)m
• Bulgarian:змия(bg)f(zmija)
• Catalan:serpent(ca)f,serp(ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese:Xà(se⁴)

  Mandarin:Xà(zh)(shé)

• Chuukese:serepenit
• Czech:had(cs)m
• Danish:slange(da)c
• Dutch:serpent(nl)n,slang(nl)f
• Egyptian:(ḥfꜣwm)
• English:

  Middle English:addere,naddere

  Old English:nædre,nǣddre

• Esperanto:serpento(eo)
• Finnish:käärme(fi)
• French:serpent(fr)m
• Friulian:sarpintm
• Galician:serpe(gl)f,bichaf
• Georgian:გველი(ka)(gveli)
• German:Schlange(de)f,(poetic)Wurm(de)m
• Greek:ερπετό(el)n(erpetó),φίδι(el)n(fídi)

  Ancient:ὄφιςm(óphis),ἑρπετόνn(herpetón)

• Hebrew:נָחָשׁ(he)m(nakhásh),שָׂרָף(he)m(saraf)
• Hungarian:kígyó(hu)
• Icelandic:höggormur(is)m,naðra(is)f
• Indonesian:ular(id)
• Italian:serpente(it)m,serpe(it)f
• Japanese:Xà(ja)(へび,hebi)
• Kashmiri:سَرُپھ(saruph),سَرُف(saruf)
• Korean:뱀(ko)(baem)
• Latin:serpēns(la),coluberm,anguis(la)m
• Latvian:čūska(lv)f
• Lutshootseed:bə́c'əc
• Macedonian:зми́ја(mk)f(zmíja)
• Manx:ardnieum,aarnieum
• Maori:nākahi
• Nahuatl:coatl(nah)
• Occitan:sèrp(oc)m
• Ojibwe:ginebig
• Oromo:bofa
• Persian:مار(fa)(mâr),اربد(arbad)
• Plautdietsch:Schlangf
• Polish:wąż(pl)m
• Portuguese:serpente(pt)f
• Quechua:amaru
• Romanian:șarpe(ro)m
• Russian:змея́(ru)(zmejá)
• Sanskrit:सर्प(sa)m(sarpa),अहि(sa)m(ahi)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman:zmija(sh)f,guja(sh)f

• Spanish:serpiente(es)f,(archaic)sierpe(es)f
• Swahili:joka(sw)
• Swedish:orm(sv)c
• Tatar:елан(tt)(yelan)
• Tocharian B:sarpe
• Turkish:yılan(tr)
• Ugaritic:𐎐𐎈𐎌(nḥš),𐎁𐎘𐎐(bṯn)
• Volapük:snek(vo)
• Walloon:sierpint(wa)m
• Welsh:sarff(cy)f
• Yiddish:שלאַנגf(shlang)

musical instrument

• Catalan:serpentó(ca)m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Xà hào／Xà hào(zh)(shéhào)

• Dutch:serpent(nl)f
• Finnish:serpentti
• German:Serpentmorn
• Hungarian:szerpent
• Italian:serpentone(it)m,serpente(it)m
• Japanese:セルパン(serupan)
• Portuguese:serpentãom
• Spanish:serpentón(es)m
• Volapük:särpentum

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

Translations to be checked

• Norwegian:^{(pleaseverify)}slange(no)
• Slovak:^{(pleaseverify)}had(sk)m
• Telugu:^{(pleaseverify)}పాము(te)(pāmu)

Verb

serpent(third-person singular simple presentserpents,present participleserpenting,simple past and past participleserpented)

1. (obsolete,intransitive)Towindormeander
2. (obsolete,transitive)Toencircle.
   • 1645February 10 (Gregorian calendar),John Evelyn,“[Diary entry for January 31 1645]”,inWilliam Bray,editor,Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn,[…],2nd edition, volume I, London:Henry Colburn,[…];and sold by John and Arthur Arch,[…],published1819,→OCLC:

     fruit-trees, whose boles are serpented with excellent vines

See also

• herpetology
• lizard
• reptile
• snake

Anagrams

• penster,present,repents,respent

Catalan

Etymology

InheritedfromLatinserpentem,fromserpō(“crawl, creep”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):(Central)[sərˈpen]
• IPA^(key):(Balearic)[sərˈpent]
• IPA^(key):(Valencia)[seɾˈpent]

• Audio(Valencia):

  (file)

Noun

serpentmorf(pluralserpents)

1. snake

   Synonym:serp

Dutch

Etymology

FromMiddle Dutchserpent,fromOld Frenchserpent(“snake, serpent”),fromLatinserpēns(“snake”),from the verbserpō(“I creep, crawl”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/sɛrˈpɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation:ser‧pent
• Rhymes:-ɛnt

Noun

serpentnorform(pluralserpenten,diminutiveserpentjen)

1. (formal,dated)snake

   Synonym:slang

2. (formal)serpent,serpentinedragon,large snake

   Synonym:slang

3. anunpleasant,spitefulorfoulmouthedperson, especially used of women

   Synonym:slang

Noun

serpentf(pluralserpenten,diminutiveserpentjen)

1. (music)serpent(wind instrument)

Descendants

• →West Frisian:serpint

Anagrams

• persten,strepen

French

Etymology

InheritedfromMiddle Frenchserpent,fromOld Frenchserpent,fromLatinserpentem,accusative form ofserpēns,fromserpō(“crawl, creep”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/sɛʁ.pɑ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

serpentm(pluralserpents,feminineserpente)

1. snake

Derived terms

• c’est le serpent qui se mord la queue
• serpent à lunettes
• serpent à plumes
• serpent à sonnettes
• serpent corail
• serpent de mer
• serpent d’eau
• serpenter

Further reading

• “serpent”,inTrésor de la langue française informatisé[Digitized Treasury of the French Language],2012.

Anagrams

• présent

Latin

Verb

serpent

1. third-personpluralfutureactiveindicativeofserpō

Middle French

Etymology

FromOld Frenchserpent,fromLatinserpentem,accusative singular form ofserpēns.

Noun

serpentm(pluralserpenz)

1. snake

Descendants

• French:serpent

Old French

Etymology

FromLatinserpēns,serpentem.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

serpentoblique singular,m(oblique pluralserpenzorserpentz,nominative singularserpenzorserpentz,nominative pluralserpent)

1. snake

Descendants

• Middle French:serpent
  • French:serpent
• Walloon:sierpint
• →Middle English:serpent
  • English:serpent
• →Dutch:serpent

Romanian

Etymology

BorrowedfromFrenchserpentorEnglishserpent.

Noun

serpentn(pluralserpente)

1. (music)serpent

Declension

Declension ofserpent

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un)serpent	serpentul	(niște)serpente	serpentele
genitive/dative	(unui)serpent	serpentului	(unor)serpente	serpentelor
vocative	serpentule		serpentelor

Romansch

Alternative forms

• serpaint(Vallader)

Etymology

FromLatinserpēns,serpentem.

Noun

serpentm(pluralserpents)

1. (Surmiran)snake

Synonyms

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