Where does “serpent” come from?

serpent (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch serpent, from Old French serpent, from Latin serpēns, from Latin serpō, from Proto-Indo-European serp- — to creep, crawl.

serpent (Dutch): snake; serpent, serpentine dragon, large snake;...

Definitions

  1. snake; serpent, serpentine dragon, large snake;...

Ancestry of “serpent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchserpent—
2Old Frenchserpentsnake
3LatinserpēnsA serpent, snake
4Latinserpōto creep, crawl, move slowly of an animal
5Proto-Indo-Europeanserp-to creep, crawl
Every word from Proto-Indo-European serp- →Every word from Latin serpō →Every word from Latin serpēns →