serpent

See also: Serpent and sèrpent

English

Etymology

From Middle English serpent, from Old French serpent (“snake, serpent”), from Latin serpēns (“snake”), present active participle of serpere (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *serp-. In this sense, displaced native Old English nǣdre (“snake, serpent”), whence Modern English adder.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ser‧pent

Noun

serpent (plural serpents)

1. (now literary) A snake, especially a large or dangerous one.
2. (figuratively) A subtle, treacherous, malicious person.
   • 1887, H. Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure‎^[1]:

     At last it came. `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.'

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

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
• amphisbaena
• amphithere
• 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”

• serpentarium (noun)
• serpenticide (noun)
• ∴ serpenticidal (adjective)
• 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 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: ثُعْبَان‎ m (ṯuʿbān), حَنَش‎ m (ḥanaš), حَيَّة‎ f (ḥayya), أَفْعَى‎ f (ʾafʿā)

  Egyptian Arabic: تعبان‎ m (tiʿbān)

• 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: 蛇 (se⁴)

  Mandarin: 蛇 (zh) (shé)

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

  Middle English: addere, naddere

  Old English: nædre, nǣddre

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

  Ancient: ὄφις m (óphis), ἑρπετόν n (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) m
• Japanese: 蛇 (ja) (へび, hebi)
• Kashmiri: سَرُپھ‎ (saruph), سَرُف‎ (saruf)
• Korean: 뱀 (ko) (baem)
• Latin: serpēns (la), coluber m, anguis (la) m
• Latvian: čūska (lv) f
• Lutshootseed: bə́c'əc
• Macedonian: змија f (zmija)
• Manx: ardnieu m, aarnieu m
• Maori: nākahi
• Nahuatl: coatl (nah)
• Occitan: sèrp (oc) m
• Ojibwe: ginebig
• Oromo: bofa
• Persian: مار‎ (fa) (mâr), اربد‎ (arbad)
• Plautdietsch: Schlang f
• Polish: wąż (pl) m
• Portuguese: serpente (pt) f
• Quechua: amaru (qu)
• 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
• Swedish: orm (sv) c
• Tocharian B: sarpe
• Turkish: yılan (tr)
• Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎈𐎌 (nḥš), 𐎁𐎘𐎐 (bṯn)
• Volapük: snek (vo)
• Walloon: sierpint (wa) m
• Welsh: sarff (cy) f
• Yiddish: שלאַנג‎ f (shlang)

musical instrument

• Catalan: serpentó (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 蛇号 (shéhào)

• Dutch: serpent (nl) f
• Finnish: serpentti
• German: Serpent m or n

• Italian: serpentone (it) m, serpente (it) m
• Japanese: セルパン (serupan)
• Portuguese: serpentão m
• Spanish: serpentón m
• Volapük: särpentum

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} slange (no)
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} had (sk) m

• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} పాము (te) (pāmu)

Verb

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.
   • 1645 February 10, John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for January 31 1645 (Julian calendar)]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […] , volume I, 2nd edition, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1819, OCLC 976971842:

     fruit-trees, whose boles are serpented with excellent vines

See also

• herpetology
• lizard
• reptile
• snake

Anagrams

• penster, present, repents, respent

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin serpēns, serpentem, from serpō (“crawl, creep”), from Proto-Indo-European *serp-.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /səɾˈpent/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /sərˈpen/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /seɾˈpent/

• Audio (Valencian)

  (file)

Noun

serpent m or f (plural serpents)

1. snake

Synonyms

• serp

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch serpent, from Old French serpent (“snake, serpent”), from Latin serpēns (“snake”), from the verb serpō (“I creep, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *serp-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛrˈpɛnt/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ser‧pent
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

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

serpent f (plural serpenten, diminutive serpentje n)

1. (music) serpent (wind instrument)

Descendants

• → West Frisian: serpint

Anagrams

• persten, strepen

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French

Etymology

From Middle French serpent, from Old French serpent, from Latin serpentem, accusative form of serpēns, from serpō (“crawl, creep”), from Proto-Indo-European *serp-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛʁ.pɑ̃/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

serpent m (plural serpents)

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 d'eau
• serpent de mer

 

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• présent

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Latin

Verb

serpent

1. third-person plural future active indicative of serpō

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Middle French

Etymology

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

Noun

serpent m (plural serpenz)

1. snake

Descendants

• French: serpent

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Old French

Etymology

From Latin serpēns, serpentem.

Noun

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

1. snake

Descendants

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

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Romanian

Etymology

From French serpent or English serpent.

Noun

serpent n (plural serpente)

1. (music) serpent

Declension

Declension of serpent

	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

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Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Vallader) serpaint

Etymology

From Latin serpēns, serpentem.

Noun

serpent m (plural serpents)

1. (Surmiran) snake

Synonyms

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