serpentine

¹

[sur-puhn-teen, -tahyn]

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement.

2. having a winding course, as a road; sinuous.

   Synonyms: tortuous, twisting

3. shrewd, wily, or cunning.

noun

1. a device on a harquebus lock for holding the match.

2. a cannon having any of various bore sizes, used from the 15th to the 17th century.

3. Skating.,  a school figure made by skating two figure eights that share one loop.

verb (used without object)

serpentined, serpentining 

1. to make or follow a winding course.

   The stream serpentines through the valley.

serpentine

²

[sur-puhn-teen, -tahyn]

noun

1. a common mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, H 2 Mg 3 Si 2 O 2 , usually oily green and sometimes spotted, occurring in many varieties: used for architectural and decorative purposes.

serpentine

¹

/ ˈsɜːpənˌtaɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a serpent

2. twisting; winding

noun

1. maths a curve that is symmetric about the origin of and asymptotic to the x -axis

serpentine

²

/ ˈsɜːpənˌtaɪn /

noun

1. a dark green or brown mineral with a greasy or silky lustre, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. It is used as an ornamental stone; and one variety (chrysotile) is known as asbestos. Composition: hydrated magnesium silicate. Formula: Mg 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 . Crystal structure: monoclinic

2. any of a group of minerals having the general formula (Mg,Fe) 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4

serpentine

1. Any of a group of greenish, brownish, or yellowish monoclinic minerals, occurring in igneous or metamorphic rocks. They are used as a source of magnesium and asbestos. Chemical formula: (Mg,Fe) ₃ Si ₂ O ₅ (OH) ₄ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of serpentine¹

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English (adjective) from Old French serpentin, serpentine and Latin serpentīnus “snakelike”; Serpens, -ine ¹ ( def. )

Origin of serpentine²

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English serpentin(e), from Old French serpentine and Medieval Latin serpentīnum (neuter) and serpentīna (feminine), noun use of neuter of serpentīnus serpentine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of serpentine¹

C14: from Late Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns _serpent

Origin of serpentine²

C15 serpentyn, from Medieval Latin serpentīnum _serpentine ¹ ; referring to the snakelike patterns of these minerals

Example Sentences

But eventually, after a serpentine, multiyear effort, the whereabouts of the original negative were finally uncovered.

From Los Angeles Times

“And she starts singing this song, which sounded very serpentine, like if a snake was able to sing,” Brown says.

From Los Angeles Times

Andrews designed two curvy couches for his collection with furniture company A. Rudin and estimates he includes a serpentine sofa in roughly half his design projects.

From Los Angeles Times

“The central granitic batholith defines the White Alps, a land of spires and glacially carved valleys with hanging lakes as a result. The eastern-most section is called the Red Alps because serpentine soils are common.”

From Los Angeles Times

But maybe I could do even better, if I learned how to be more serpentine, like my mom.

From Salon

Related Words

• artful 
• circuitous 
• convoluted 
• curved www.thesaurus.com
• meandering 
• sinuous 
• twisting