Where does “serpentine” come from?
Serpentine comes from Old French serpentin, derived from Latin serpentinus, an adjective formed from Latin serpo meaning to creep or crawl, with Proto-Indo-European roots serp- and the suffix -no-.
serpentine (English): Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes;...
Definitions
- Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes;...
Ancestry of “serpentine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | serpentin | — |
| 2 | Latin | serpentīnus | — |
| 3 | Latin | -īnus | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -īnos | of/belonging to |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
Words derived from “serpentine”