serpentine
/ˈsɝ.pənˌtaɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.06 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.
adj
Of, or having attributes associated with, the serpent referred to in the book of Genesis in the Bible, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.
adj
adj
Pertaining to the serpentine subgroup of minerals.
Example Sentences
- "The wily criminal was known for his serpentine behavior."
- "There are serpentine species of lizards which do not have legs."
- "The serpentine path through the mountains was narrow and dangerous."
- "So! keep looking so— / My serpentining beauty, rounds on rounds!"
- "Between Magherafelt and Macfin its length of 29¼ miles made a rather serpentine line on the map, as it attempted to serve the rather scattered towns and villages that lie between the River Bann and the Dungiven Mountains."
- "serpentine soils"
Etymology
From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentin, from Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns (“serpent”), equivalent to serpent + -ine.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɝ.pənˌtaɪn/
- British English: /ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/
Inflected Forms
more serpentine (comparative)
most serpentine (superlative)
serpentines (plural)
serpentines (present, singular)
serpentining (participle, present)
serpentined (participle, past)
serpentined (past)
the Serpentine (canonical)