sea serpent

noun

1. an enormous, imaginary, snakelike or dragonlike marine animal.
2. Sea Serpent, Astronomy. the constellation Hydra.

sea serpent

noun

1. a huge legendary creature of the sea resembling a snake or dragon

Word History and Origins

Origin of sea serpent¹

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

“It definitely looks fanciful; it evokes the sea serpent mythology.”

From Los Angeles Times

Near the coast of Norway, Magnus depicts a bright-red sea serpent attacking a ship that tilts as though it’s being taken under.

From National Geographic

In Norse mythology, a monstrous sea serpent wrapped itself around the world’s waters.

From New York Times

In 1842, a vast, nearly intact skeleton was unearthed on a plantation in Alabama; it was soon identified as a member of Basilosaurus, a recently named genus of prehistoric sea serpent.

From New York Times

While exploring an Arctic mountaintop in 2008, paleontologists unearthed a small skeleton that resembled a coiled sea serpent imprinted into a slab of 240 million-year-old rock.

From New York Times