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A serpent is a snake, especially a large one. It is an old, slightly literary word. In everyday talk people just say snake. You still hear serpent in stories, in the Bible (the serpent in the garden), and when a writer wants the snake to sound grand, wise, or dangerous. It does not name one species. Though actually, English once had its own old word for this animal, which became today's ; serpent came in from French and Latin and took the high, story-book place.
大蛇；蛇（書面、神話或聖經用語）
組成From Middle English serpent, from Old French serpent, from Latin serpēns, the creeping one, from serpere (to creep, to crawl). In this meaning it took the place of the old English word that became adder.
同家族的字
- serpentinewinding like a snake; built from serpent
原始詞典資料10 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
Serpentname
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Synonym of Serpens (a constellation).
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Synonym of Satan or referencing the form he took in the Book of Genesis.
- Quin, with the wisdom of the serpent, called for more drinks.
serpentnoun/ˈsɜːpənt/
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archaicliteraryA snake.
- He falls into it, who has digg'd a Pit. Who breaks a Hedge is with a Serpent bit.
- Coiled up behind the shrub, […] was a green imamba, the most dreaded of all South African serpents.
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fantasyhuman-sciencesmysticismA snake-like monster, such as a dragon or sea serpent.
- Then Beowulf too rallied. With his whetted dagger he slit a gash in the serpent's middle.
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A person who is subtle, malicious, treacherous, or deceiving.
- He is a very serpent in my way.
- 'Dogs and serpents,' She began in a low voice that gradually gathered power as she went on, till the place rang with it. Eaters of human flesh, two things have ye done. First, ye have attacked these strangers, being white men, and would have slain their servant, and for that alone death is your reward.'
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entertainmentlifestylemusicAn obsolete wind instrument in the brass family, whose shape is suggestive of a snake (Wikipedia article).
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A kind of firework with a serpentine motion.
serpentverb/ˈsɜːpənt/
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obsoleteTo wind or meander
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obsoleteTo encircle.
- fruit-trees, whose boles are serpented with excellent vines
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。