Added 10 October 2026
serpent
/ˈsɜːpənt/ noun
In Latin: serpēns, coluber, anguis Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about serpent at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A snake. Alternative letter-case form of Serpent.
- Alternative letter-case form of Serpent.
- A snake-like creature, such as a sea serpent.
verb
Origin
From Middle English serpent, from Old French serpent (“snake, serpent”), from Latin serpēns (“snake”), present active participle of serpere (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-Italic *serpō, from Proto-Indo-European *serp-. In this sense, displaced native Old English nǣdre (“snake, serpent”), whence Modern English adder. Compare Sanskrit सर्प (sarpa, “snake”), which is a descendant of the same Proto-Indo-European word as serpent.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)