What does "serpentine" mean?
Any of several plants believed to cure snakebites.
Serpentine
/ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of several plants believed to cure snakebites.
- Grammar: serpentine is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aberrant, aberrative, acute, affluent.
- Useful contrasts: direct, direct path, honest.
- Usage evidence: The rotting shanty town was not too distant from the grandiose temples of serpentine.
How to use "serpentine"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "serpentine" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "serpentine" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "serpentine" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "serpentine" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "serpentine" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aberrant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "serpentine", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of several plants believed to cure snakebites.
- 2 An early form of cannon, used in the 16th century. historical
- 3 A kind of firework.
- 4 A coiled distillation tube.
- 5 Any of several related cubic curves; anguinea
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 In dressage, a winding walk across on the arena.
- 7 Any of several green/brown minerals consisting of magnesium and iron silicates that have similar layered crystal structure, whose appearance somewhat resembles a snake's skin.
"It is reached by five-and-twenty steps of porphyry and serpentine."
- 8 An outcrop or region with soil and rock dominated by these minerals.
Verb
- 1 To serpentize; to turn or bend; to meander.
"1813, George Nicholson, The Cambrian Traveller's Guidey There were two little lakes, or rather large pools which stood in the bottom, whence issued a rivulet which serpentined in view for two or three miles, offering a pleasing relief to the eye."
Adjective
- 1 Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.
- 2 Of, or having attributes associated with, the serpent referred to in the book of Genesis in the Bible, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.
"The wily criminal was known for his serpentine behavior."
- 3 Having the form or shape of a snake.
"There are serpentine species of lizards which do not have legs."
- 4 Curving in alternate directions; sinuous.
"The serpentine path through the mountains was narrow and dangerous."
- 5 Pertaining to the serpentine subgroup of minerals.
"serpentine soils"
Adjective
- 1 resembling a serpent in form wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A lake in Hyde Park, London.
- 2 A river in Alaska.
- 3 A river in Australia.
- 4 A river in Canada.
- 5 A minor river in Tasman district and the city of Nelson, New Zealand.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A town in the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Western Australia.
Example
"The rotting shanty town was not too distant from the grandiose temples of serpentine."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "serpentine"?
Common synonyms include: aberrant, aberrative, acute, affluent, ambagious, amphibian.
How do you use "serpentine" in a sentence?
The rotting shanty town was not too distant from the grandiose temples of serpentine.
How do you pronounce "serpentine"?
Pronounced /ˈsɜː.pənˌtaɪn/.
Etymology
From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentin, from Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns (“serpent”), equivalent to serpent + -ine.