serpens

See also: Serpens

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin serpēns, present active participle of serpō (“crawl, creep”)

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

serpens (not comparable)

1. (medicine, with Latin or Latin-like substantives) serpentlike

   Ulcus serpens (rarely Ulkus serpens), Ulcera serpentia ― serpent ulcer (also ulcus serpens), serpent ulcers

   Erysipelas serpens ― (rarely erysipelas serpens)

References

• “serpens” in Duden online

---

Latin

serpēns (serpent)

Etymology

Present active participle of serpō (“crawl, creep”). Cognate with Sanskrit सर्प (sarpá, “snake, serpent”), Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν (herpetón, “serpent, creeping animal”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈser.pens/, [ˈs̠ɛrpẽːs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈser.pens/, [ˈsɛrpens]

• Audio (Classical):

  (file)

Noun

serpēns m or f (genitive serpentis); third declension

1. A serpent, snake
2. (astronomy) either Draco or Serpens
3. A louse
4. Any creeping animal

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	serpēns	serpentēs
Genitive	serpentis	serpentium serpentum
Dative	serpentī	serpentibus
Accusative	serpentem	serpentēs
Ablative	serpente	serpentibus
Vocative	serpēns	serpentēs

Synonyms

• (serpent, snake): anguis, colubra
• (constellation Draco): Anguis, Draco
• (louse): pedīculus

Related terms

• serpentāria
• serpentigena
• serpentīnus

• serpentipēs
• serpō
• serpula

Descendants

• Aromanian: sharpi
• Catalan: serp, serpent
• Esperanto: serpento
• Friulian: sarpint
• Galician: serpe, serpente
• Interlingua: serpente
• Italian: serpe, serpente
• Maltese: serp
• Occitan: sèrp

• Old French: serpent
  • Middle French: serpent
    • French: serpent
  • Walloon: sierpint
  • → Middle English: serpent
    • English: serpent
  • → Dutch: serpent
• Portuguese: serpente
• Romanian: șarpe, șerpânță
• Romansch: serp, siarp, serpent, serpaint
• Sicilian: serpi, serpenti, sirpenti
• Spanish: sierpe, serpiente
• → Welsh: sarff

Participle

serpēns (genitive serpentis); third-declension one-termination participle

1. creeping, crawling

Declension

Third-declension participle.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	serpēns			serpentēs	serpentia
Genitive	serpentis			serpentium
Dative	serpentī			serpentibus
Accusative	serpentem	serpēns		serpentēs serpentīs	serpentia
Ablative	serpente serpentī1			serpentibus
Vocative	serpēns			serpentēs	serpentia

¹When used purely as an adjective.

References

• “serpens”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “serpens”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• serpens in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• serpens in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.