serpentine

[ sur-puhn-teen, -tahyn ]

See synonyms for: serpentine serpentines on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, characteristic of, or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement.
having a winding course, as a road; sinuous.

shrewd, wily, or cunning.

noun

a device on a harquebus lock for holding the match.
a cannon having any of various bore sizes, used from the 15th to the 17th century.

Skating. a school figure made by skating two figure eights that share one loop.

verb (used without object),ser·pen·tined, ser·pen·tin·ing.

to make or follow a winding course: The stream serpentines through the valley.

Origin of serpentine

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (adjective) from Old French serpentin, serpentine and Latin serpentīnus “snakelike”; see origin at Serpens, -ine¹

Other words for serpentine

2	twisting, snaking, tortuous

See synonyms for serpentine on Thesaurus.com

Words Nearby serpentine

Other definitions for serpentine (2 of 2)

serpentine²

[ sur-puhn-teen, -tahyn ]

noun

a common mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, H2Mg3Si2O2, usually oily green and sometimes spotted, occurring in many varieties: used for architectural and decorative purposes.

Origin of serpentine

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English serpentin(e), from Old French serpentine and Medieval Latin serpentīnum (neuter) and serpentīna (feminine), noun use of neuter of serpentīnusserpentine¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use serpentine in a sentence

The serpentine fries were gone — snatched by toddlers — before I had a chance to lick my fingers.
In Massachusetts, a seacoast city that feels like home | Hannah Selinger | August 26, 2021 | Washington Post
As part of the recovery, several historic buildings in Cruz Bay and elsewhere have been refurbished, and archaeological sites and hiking trails in the national park, including the serpentine Reef Bay Trail, have been restored or upgraded.
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, returning to a changed but resilient St. John | Bob Drogin | June 25, 2021 | Washington Post
Discovering a new way that a snake moves could help engineers make better use of serpentine machines.
Newfound technique allows some tree snakes to climb wide trees | Maria Temming | February 1, 2021 | Science News For Students
For nearly 100 years, scientists have only known about four forms of serpentine locomotion.
These snakes wiggle up smooth poles by turning their bodies into ‘lassoes’ | Kate Baggaley | January 13, 2021 | Popular-Science
Discovering new, clever ways in which real snakes exploit their incredible flexibility could help engineers make better use of serpentine machines.
Brown tree snakes use their tails as lassos to climb wide trees | Maria Temming | January 11, 2021 | Science News

Most of the time, the three-hour, serpentine drive to Jalalabad is gorgeous and calm, though attacks can happen.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But he tells their story in a voyeuristic way, to make this one of the most troubling and serpentine novel of the year.
What You Missed But Shouldn’t Have In 2013 | | December 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It's not just about the wild serpentine forms that Schiavone borrowed from Mannerist painters based further south.
The Unknown Masterpiece | Blake Gopnik | November 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Lynch nods indulgently as Brand launches into an epic, serpentine definition of the benefits of TM.
David Lynch Discusses Transcendental Meditation in Los Angeles | Sean Macaulay | April 7, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the park you will also find the serpentine, a lake in which people boat or swim (depending on the time of year).
Running the World | Michael Chertoff | July 25, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
Indications of asbestos are found at most points throughout the whole serpentine formation.
Asbestos | Robert H. Jones
A band of limestone also occurs at Templeton containing masses of a light-coloured translucent serpentine.
Asbestos | Robert H. Jones
The outcrop of the serpentine here, I am told, is quite limited, with steep sides till round it.
Asbestos | Robert H. Jones
The belt of serpentine here is very narrow, and the veins of asbestos are closely pressed together.
Asbestos | Robert H. Jones
A trap-like compound, with somewhat the aspect of serpentine, but yielding with difficulty to the knife.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2] | Phillip Parker King

British Dictionary definitions for serpentine (1 of 2)

serpentine¹

/ (ˈsɜːpənˌtaɪn) /

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a serpent
twisting; winding

noun

maths a curve that is symmetric about the origin of and asymptotic to the x -axis

Origin of serpentine

C14: from Late Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns serpent

British Dictionary definitions for serpentine (2 of 2)

serpentine²

/ (ˈsɜːpənˌtaɪn) /

noun

a dark green or brown mineral with a greasy or silky lustre, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. It is used as an ornamental stone; and one variety (chrysotile) is known as asbestos. Composition: hydrated magnesium silicate. Formula: Mg 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 . Crystal structure: monoclinic
any of a group of minerals having the general formula (Mg,Fe) 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4

Origin of serpentine

C15 serpentyn, from Medieval Latin serpentīnum serpentine 1; referring to the snakelike patterns of these minerals

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for serpentine

serpentine

[ sûr′pən-tēn′, -tīn′ ]

Any of a group of greenish, brownish, or yellowish monoclinic minerals, occurring in igneous or metamorphic rocks. They are used as a source of magnesium and asbestos. Chemical formula: (Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4.

Browse