definitions

serpent

[ sur-puh nt ]
/ ˈsɜr pənt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR serpent ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a snake.
a wily, treacherous, or malicious person.
the Devil; Satan. Gen. 3:1–5.
a firework that burns with serpentine motion or flame.
an obsolete wooden wind instrument with a serpentine shape and a deep, coarse tone.Compare ophicleide.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Serpens.

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RELATED WORDS

snake, viper, basilisk, dragon, ophidian

Nearby words

serow, seroxat, serp, serpasil, serpens, serpent, serpent bearer, serpent star, serpentarium, serpentiform, serpentine

Origin of serpent

1250–1300; Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin serpent-, stem of serpēns; see Serpens
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for serpent

British Dictionary definitions for serpent

serpent

/ (ˈsɜːpənt) /

noun

a literary or dialect word for snake
Old Testament a manifestation of Satan as a guileful tempter (Genesis 3:1–5)
a sly, deceitful, or unscrupulous person
an obsolete wind instrument resembling a snake in shape, the bass form of the cornett
a firework that moves about with a serpentine motion when ignited

Word Origin for serpent

C14: via Old French from Latin serpēns a creeping thing, from serpere to creep; related to Greek herpein to crawl
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

Culture definitions for serpent

serpent

The creature in the Book of Genesis that tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, thus committing the first act of the Fall of Man. In the New Testament, the serpent of Genesis is identified with Satan.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.