serpentine

¹

[ sur-puhn-teen, -tahyn ]

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement.
2. having a winding course, as a road; sinuous.

   Synonyms: tortuous, twisting

3. shrewd, wily, or cunning.

noun

1. a device on a harquebus lock for holding the match.
2. a cannon having any of various bore sizes, used from the 15th to the 17th century.
3. 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.

1. to make or follow a winding course:

   The stream serpentines through the valley.

serpentine

²

[ sur-puhn-teen, -tahyn ]

noun

1. a common mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, H 2 Mg 3 Si 2 O 2 , usually oily green and sometimes spotted, occurring in many varieties: used for architectural and decorative purposes.

serpentine

¹

/ ˈsɜːpənˌtaɪn /

noun

1. 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
2. any of a group of minerals having the general formula (Mg,Fe) 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4

serpentine

²

/ ˈsɜːpənˌtaɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a serpent
2. twisting; winding

noun

1. maths a curve that is symmetric about the origin of and asymptotic to the x -axis

serpentine

/ sûr′pən-tēn′,-tīn′ /

1. 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) 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of serpentine¹

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (adjective) from Old French serpentin, serpentine and Latin serpentīnus “snakelike”; Serpens, -ine ¹( def )

Origin of serpentine²

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English serpentin(e), from Old French serpentine and Medieval Latin serpentīnum (neuter) and serpentīna (feminine), noun use of neuter of serpentīnus serpentine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of serpentine¹

C15 serpentyn, from Medieval Latin serpentīnum serpentine ¹; referring to the snakelike patterns of these minerals

Origin of serpentine²

C14: from Late Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns serpent

Example Sentences

“Second life” is used often in this space, but it’s really one long, serpentine timeline.

From Los Angeles Times

A Dodgers clubhouse attendant swooped in and deftly collected the serpentine intruder in a towel.

From Los Angeles Times

Without a word, he whisked me past a serpentine of travelers and straight to the metal detector.

From Los Angeles Times

Public consensus turned swiftly against her and she exiled herself to write “Reputation,” arguably her most vengeful album, replete with serpentine iconography, “versions” of herself that she would revisit in the “Anti-Hero” video and the Eras tour, and a questionable video for the lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” that saw Swift making finger guns in a bathtub full of diamonds.

From Los Angeles Times

Earlier this year, Anadol drew 66,000 visitors in 47 days to “Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive,” an exhibition at the Serpentine Galleries in London where he showed A.I.-generated works representing underwater landscapes and rainforests.

From New York Times

Related Words

• artful
• circuitous
• convoluted
• curved
• meandering
• sinuous
• twisting