serpentine

[ sur-puhn-teen, -tahyn ]

/ ˈsɜr pənˌtin, -ˌtaɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR serpentine 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.

Nearby words

serpent, serpent bearer, serpent star, serpentarium, serpentiform, serpentine, serpentine front, serpentine jade, serpentine stretcher, serpentinite, serpentinize

Origin of serpentine

1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Latin serpentīnus snakelike, equivalent to serpent- serpent + -īnus ine1

SYNONYMS FOR serpentine

2 twisting, snaking, tortuous.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR serpentine ON THESAURUS.COM

Definition for serpentine (2 of 2)

serpentine

[ sur-puh n-teen, -tahyn ]

/ ˈsɜr pənˌtin, -ˌtaɪn /

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

1350–1400; Middle English serpentyn < Medieval Latin serpentīnum, noun use. of neuter of serpentīnus serpentine¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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 Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|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|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|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|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|DAILY BEAST
In this locality the original rock is a peridotite, relatively low in nickel, which has been altered to serpentine.
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith
That which was once the serpentine walk is now in a state of transformation, and is already become as woody as the rest.
The Works of William Cowper|William Cowper
He felt sick with horror in that neighbourhood, and he moved away, and stood staring across the Serpentine.
Tongues of Conscience|Robert Smythe Hichens
The road through the farm up to the house is serpentine, and planted with dying shrubs.
Early Western Travels, 1748-1846, Volume XII|William Faux
One single clump of green trees raised their heads at the extremity of Serpentine Peninsula.
The Secret of the Island|W.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)

British Dictionary definitions for serpentine (1 of 2)

serpentine

/ (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

Word Origin for serpentine

C14: from Late Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns serpent

British Dictionary definitions for serpentine (2 of 2)

serpentine

/ (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

Word Origin for 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

Science 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.