Wordwyrt

serpent

/ˈsɜːpənt/SUR-puhnt
/ˈsɝpənt/SUR-puhnt

Meaninga creeper

Common meaning: a snake

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√SARP‘slip along, glide, creep’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 388, p. 744 · scan
  2. Latinserpō, serpsī‘to creep, crawl’
  3. Frenchserpent
  4. Englishserpent‘a snake’ · today

serp also in: serpentine

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin serpō ‘to creep, crawl’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry serpō, p. 1680 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

serpentine

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app