serpent

American  

[sur-puhnt] / ˈsɜr pənt /

noun

1. a snake.

2. a wily, treacherous, or malicious person.

3. the Devil; Satan. Genesis 3:1–5.

4. a firework that burns with a serpentine motion or flame.

5. an obsolete wooden wind instrument with a serpentine shape and a deep, coarse tone.

6. Astronomy. Serpent, the constellation Serpens.

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serpent British  

/ ˈsɜːpənt /

noun

1. a literary or dialect word for snake

2. Old Testament a manifestation of Satan as a guileful tempter (Genesis 3:1–5)

3. a sly, deceitful, or unscrupulous person

4. an obsolete wind instrument resembling a snake in shape, the bass form of the cornett

5. a firework that moves about with a serpentine motion when ignited

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serpent Cultural  

1. The creature in the Book of Genesis that tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, thus committing the first act of the Fall of Man. In the New Testament, the serpent of Genesis is identified with Satan.

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Etymology

Origin of serpent

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin serpent-, stem of serpēns “crawling”; Serpens

Example Sentences

Similarly, the warmer temperatures have compelled outdoor enthusiasts to hit the trails, increasing the odds of a run-in with the serpents.

From Los Angeles Times

And it may surprise even the shrewdest reader to learn that most serpents do not belong in the realm of Pain.

From Literature

The Southland has also seen more rattlesnakes, with two recent human fatalities, as the early heat draws more serpents onto hiking trails.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s like that saying — If you cut the head of a serpent, then more heads will grow,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

What the pair found was a desert highway that rolls up and down, like an asphalt serpent, with deadly blind peaks and treacherous hidden troughs.

From Barron's

Related Words

• snake
• viper