serpo

See also: ŝerpo

Esperanto

Etymology

From Russian серп (serp).

Noun

serpo (accusative singular serpon, plural serpoj, accusative plural serpojn)

1. sickle
2. crescent

Ido

Noun

serpo (plural serpi)

1. billhook

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *serpō, from Proto-Indo-European *sérpeti (“to creep, crawl”). Cognate with Sanskrit सर्पति (sarpati, “to glide, crawl”), Ancient Greek ἕρπω (hérpō), and Latin rēpō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈser.poː/, [ˈs̠ɛrpoː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈser.po/, [ˈsɛrpo]

Verb

serpō (present infinitive serpere, perfect active serpsī, supine serptum); third conjugation, no passive

1. to creep, crawl, move slowly (of an animal)
2. (figuratively) to move slowly or imperceptibly, to creep in or along, proceed gradually (of a thing or situation)
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 2.268–269:

     “Tempus erat quō prīma quiēs mortālibus aegrīs
     incipit et dōnō dīvum grātissima serpit.”

     “It was the time when the first rest for careworn mortals begins, and as a gift of the gods it creeps in most pleasantly.”
     (The irony of “incipit” and “serpit”: As the weary Trojans rest, Greek soldiers “creep” from the wooden horse; the nighttime attack “begins”.)

Conjugation

Conjugation of serpō (third conjugation, active only)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	serpō	serpis	serpit	serpimus	serpitis	serpunt
	imperfect	serpēbam	serpēbās	serpēbat	serpēbāmus	serpēbātis	serpēbant
	future	serpam	serpēs	serpet	serpēmus	serpētis	serpent
	perfect	serpsī	serpsistī	serpsit	serpsimus	serpsistis	serpsērunt, serpsēre
	pluperfect	serpseram	serpserās	serpserat	serpserāmus	serpserātis	serpserant
	future perfect	serpserō	serpseris	serpserit	serpserimus	serpseritis	serpserint
	sigmatic future1	serpsō	serpsis	serpsit	serpsimus	serpsitis	serpsint
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	serpam	serpās	serpat	serpāmus	serpātis	serpant
	imperfect	serperem	serperēs	serperet	serperēmus	serperētis	serperent
	perfect	serpserim	serpserīs	serpserit	serpserīmus	serpserītis	serpserint
	pluperfect	serpsissem	serpsissēs	serpsisset	serpsissēmus	serpsissētis	serpsissent
	sigmatic aorist1	serpsim	serpsīs	serpsīt	serpsīmus	serpsītis	serpsint
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	serpe	—	—	serpite	—
	future	—	serpitō	serpitō	—	serpitōte	serpuntō
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		serpere	serpsisse	serptūrum esse	—	—	—
participles		serpēns	—	serptūrus	—	—	—
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		serpendī	serpendō	serpendum	serpendō	serptum	serptū

¹At least one use of the archaic "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used by Old Latin writers; most notably Plautus and Terence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to").

Derived terms

• deserpō
• disserpō
• inserpō
• perserpō
• prōserpō
• serperastra
• serpula
• serpēdō
• serpēns

 

Related terms

• serpentiformis
• serpentigena
• serpentipēs
• serpentāria
• serpentīnus

 

References

• “serpo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “serpo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• serpo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • a report is spreading imperceptibly: fama serpit (per urbem)