Serpents

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Elongated reptiles with scaly skin and a lack of limbs that typically hunt by constriction or venom; members of the suborder that share unique anatomical features, like a flexible jaw; literary symbols often linked to cunningness or betrayal, reflecting their various cultural significances
2. A group of elongated limbless reptiles characterized by scaly skin and a predatory nature through techniques such as constriction or venom
3. creatures falling under a specific suborder known for unique physiological traits, including a highly adaptable jaw

Etymology: The English word "serpents" is simply the plural of "serpent," so its story is really the story of the singular form. The Latin source, "serpens," meant "snake" and was the present participle of "serpere," "to creep" or "crawl," so a serpent was, at root, a creature defined by how it moves. That same ancient root lies behind the Sanskrit "sarpa," also meaning "snake," showing how far back the word's ancestry reaches. The word arrived in English through Old French "serpent," which kept the sense of "snake" or "serpent" but gave English its modern shape in Middle English. It did not enter English as a fresh term, however. English already had its own word for the animal, "nǣdre," and "serpent" pushed it out in this sense. That older Old English word survives today as "adder," the venomous snake, which is the only trace of the native term left in common use.

Synonyms: snakes, vipers, cobras, pythons, anacondas