serpentine

See also: Serpentine

English

WOTD – 24 July 2007

Etymology 1

From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentin, from Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns (“serpent”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝ.pənˌtaɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)pəntaɪn

Adjective

serpentine (comparative more serpentine, superlative most serpentine)

1. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.
2. Of, or having attributes associated with, the serpent referred to in the book of Genesis in the Bible, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.

   The wily criminal was known for his serpentine behavior.

3. Having the form or shape of a snake.

   Synonym: ophidian

   There are serpentine species of lizards which do not have legs.

4. Curving in alternate directions; sinuous.

   Synonyms: sinuous, tortuous, winding

   The serpentine path through the mountains was narrow and dangerous.

   • 1855, Robert Browning, “Andrea del Sarto. (Called ‘the Faultless Painter.’)”, in Men and Women […], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], OCLC 1561924, page 2:

     So! keep looking so— / My serpentining beauty, rounds on rounds!

Translations

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes

• Arabic: ثُعْبَانِيّ‎ (ṯuʕbāniyy)
• Belarusian: змяі́ны (zmjaíny), зьмяі́ны (zʹmjaíny) (Taraškievica)
• Bulgarian: зми́йски (zmíjski)
• Czech: hadí (cs)
• Finnish: käärmemäinen (fi)
• French: serpentin (fr)
• German: Schlangen- (de)
• Italian: serpentino (it)
• Latin: serpentīnus
• Macedonian: зми́ски (zmíski)
• Manx: aarnieuagh
• Polish: wężowy (pl)
• Portuguese: ofídico, serpentino
• Russian: змеи́ный (ru) (zmeínyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: змѝјин, зми̏јаст

  Roman: zmìjin (sh), zmȉjast (sh)

• Slovak: hadí
• Slovene: kačji, kačast
• Spanish: serpentino
• Ukrainian: змії́ний (zmijínyj)

of, or having attributes associated with, the serpent referred to in the book of Genesis in the Bible — See also translations at crafty,‎ deceitful

• Finnish: juonikas (fi)
• Portuguese: viperino (pt)
• Russian: кова́рный (ru) (kovárnyj)

having the form of a snake

• Bulgarian: змиеви́ден (zmievíden)
• Finnish: käärmemäinen (fi)
• German: schlangenförmig (de)
• Macedonian: зми́јулест (zmíjulest), змијо́виден (zmijóviden)
• Manx: aarnieuagh
• Portuguese: serpentino, serpentiforme (pt), anguiforme (pt)
• Russian: змеи́ный (ru) (zmeínyj), змееподо́бный (ru) (zmejepodóbnyj), змееви́дный (ru) (zmejevídnyj), змееобра́зный (ru) (zmejeobráznyj), изви́листый (ru) (izvílistyj) (winding)

curving in alternate directions — See also translations at sinuous

• Bulgarian: криволи́чещ (bg) (krivolíčešt), лъкату́шен (bg) (lǎkatúšen)
• Finnish: kiemurteleva, mutkitteleva, mutkikas (fi)
• German: gewunden (de), sich schlängelnd (de)
• Macedonian: кри́вулест (krívulest), кри́вулкав (krívulkav)
• Portuguese: serpentino, sinuoso (pt)
• Russian: змееви́дный (ru) (zmejevídnyj)

Noun

serpentine (plural serpentines)

1. Any of several plants believed to cure snakebites.
2. (historical) An early form of cannon, used in the 16th century.
3. A kind of firework.
4. A coiled distillation tube.
5. (mathematics) Any of several related cubic curves; anguinea
6. (equestrianism) in dressage, a winding walk across on the arena

Translations

plant believed to cure snakebites

• Portuguese: serpentária f

early form of cannon

• Dutch: serpentijn (nl) m
• Finnish: serpentiini (fi)
• Portuguese: serpentina (pt) f
• Spanish: serpentín m

coiled distillation tube

• Bulgarian: серпентина f (serpentina)
• Portuguese: serpentina (pt) f
• Russian: змееви́к (ru) m (zmejevík)

Verb

serpentine (third-person singular simple present serpentines, present participle serpentining, simple past and past participle serpentined)

1. (archaic) To serpentize; to turn or bend; to meander.
   • 1813, George Nicholson, The Cambrian Traveller's Guidey

     There were two little lakes, or rather large pools which stood in the bottom, whence issued a rivulet which serpentined in view for two or three miles, offering a pleasing relief to the eye.

Etymology 2

Serpentine (mineral)

From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentine, from resemblance to a serpent's skin.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝ.pənˌtin/, /ˈsɝ.pənˌtaɪn/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)pəntaɪn

Noun

serpentine (countable and uncountable, plural serpentines)

1. (mineralogy) Any of several green/brown minerals consisting of magnesium and iron silicates that have similar layered crystal structure.
   • 2020, Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light, Fourth Estate, page 394:

     It is reached by five-and-twenty steps of porphyry and serpentine.

2. (geology) An outcrop or region with soil and rock dominated by these minerals.

Hyponyms

• (mineral): antigorite, chrysotile, lizardite

Translations

mineral

• Bulgarian: серпентин m (serpentin)
• Catalan: serpentina f
• Finnish: serpentiini (fi)
• French: serpentine (fr) f
• German: Schlangenstein (de) m, Serpentin (de) m
• Greek: σερπεντίνης (el) m (serpentínis)
• Hindi: ज़हर मोहरा (zahar mohrā)
• Hungarian: szerpentin (hu)
• Irish: nathairín m
• Italian: serpentino (it) m
• Japanese: 蛇紋石 (じゃもんせき, jamonseki)
• Latin: ophites m
• Macedonian: серпенти́н m (serpentín)
• Portuguese: serpentina (pt) f
• Romanian: serpentin (ro) n
• Russian: змееви́к (ru) m (zmejevík), серпенти́н (ru) m (serpentín)
• Spanish: serpentina (es) f
• Swedish: serpentin (sv) c
• Ukrainian: змійови́к m (zmijovýk), серпенти́н m (serpentýn)

outcrop or region

• Finnish: serpentiinialue (region)

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2023), “Serpentine”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “serpentine”, in Mindat.org‎^[1], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2023.

Anagrams

• terpinenes

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛʁ.pɑ̃.tin/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

serpentine

1. feminine singular of serpentin

Italian

Adjective

serpentine f pl

1. feminine plural of serpentino

Noun

serpentine f pl

1. plural of serpentina

Latin

Adjective

serpentīne

1. vocative masculine singular of serpentīnus