serpentine
1- of, characteristic of, or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement.
- having a winding course, as a road; sinuous.
- shrewd, wily, or cunning.
- 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.
- to make or follow a winding course: The stream serpentines through the valley.
Origin of serpentine
1Synonyms for serpentine
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comserpentine
2- 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
2Related Words for serpentine
meandering, sinuous, artful, convoluted, curved, circuitous, twisting, cagey, clever, crafty, cunning, foxy, indirect, shrewd, slick, slinky, snaky, subtle, supple, wilyExamples from the Web for serpentine
Contemporary Examples of serpentine
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 ValleyMatt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman
November 15, 2014
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 2013December 25, 2013
It's not just about the wild serpentine forms that Schiavone borrowed from Mannerist painters based further south.
Lynch nods indulgently as Brand launches into an epic, serpentine definition of the benefits of TM.
In the park you will also find the Serpentine, a lake in which people boat or swim (depending on the time of year).
Historical Examples of serpentine
Mary looked up from the serpentine braid she was crocheting.
Tiverton TalesAlice Brown
If there were no fools to skate on the Serpentine, there had been no Humane Society.
BarringtonCharles James Lever
They had driven him home a dozen times from Serpentine Mews, and knew all about him.
The Lock And Key LibraryVarious
Shall we cross to the north, and see whether the Serpentine is in its place?
We should have been done for, had the cliff been serpentine marble.
The Mistress of ShenstoneFlorence L. Barclay
serpentine
1- of, relating to, or resembling a serpent
- twisting; winding
- maths a curve that is symmetric about the origin of and asymptotic to the x -axis
Word Origin for serpentine
serpentine
2- 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
Word Origin for serpentine
Word Origin and History for serpentine
c.1400, "plant reputed to contain antivenom," from Old French serpentin name of a precious stone, noun use of adjective meaning "of a snake, snake-like; sly, deceptive," from Late Latin serpentius "of a serpent," from Latin serpentem (nominative serpens) "snake" (see serpent). As the name of a greenish igneous rock consisting mainly of hydrous magnesium silicate, attested from early 15c.
"twisting, winding," 1610s; see serpent + -ine (1). An earlier adjective meaning "having the evil qualities of a serpent" is recorded from late 14c., from the French source of serpentine (n.). The winding lake of that name in Hyde Park, London, was constructed in 1730.
serpentine
- 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.