serpent
[ sur-puhnt ]
/ ˈsɜr pənt /
noun
a snake.
a wily, treacherous, or malicious person.
a firework that burns with a 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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Origin of serpent
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin serpent-, stem of serpēns “crawling”; see origin at Serpens
Words nearby serpent
serow, Seroxat, SERP, Serpasil, Serpens, serpent, serpentarium, Serpent Bearer, serpentiform, serpentine, serpentine front
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences 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
Cultural 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.