Log in or Sign up
  1. serpentine love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Of or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement; sinuous.
  2. adj. Subtly sly and tempting.
  3. n. Any of a group of greenish, brownish, or spotted minerals, Mg3Si2O5(OH)4, used as a source of magnesium and asbestos, and in architecture as a decorative stone.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Of or pertaining to or resembling a serpent.
  2. Especially.
  3. Having or resembling the qualities or instincts ascribed to serpents; subtle; cunning; treacherous or dangerous.
  4. Moving like a serpent; winding about; writhing; wriggling; meandering; coiling; crooked; bent; tortuous; sinuous; zigzag; anfractuous; specifically, in the manège, lolling out and moving over the bit, as a horse's tongue.
  5. Beginning and ending with the same word, as a line of poetry, as if returning upon itself. See serpentine verse.
  6. n. In French usage, part of the lock of an early form of harquebus; a match-holder, resembling a pair of nippers, which could be brought down upon the powder in the pan.
  7. n. A cannon in use in the sixteenth century. The serpentine proper is described as having a bore of 1½ inches, and the cannon serpentine as having a bore of 7 inches and a shot of 53½ pounds. Compare organ-gun.
  8. n. A kind of still; a serpentary.
  9. n. A hydrous silicate of magnesium, occurring massive, sometimes fine, granular, and compact, again finely fibrous, less often slaty. It is usually green in color, but of many different shades, also red, brown, or gray, sometimes with spots resembling a serpent's skin. There are numerous varieties, differing in structure and color. The most important of these are—precious or noble serpentine, under which term are comprised the more or less translucent serpentines, having a rich oil-green color; foliated varieties, including marmolite and antigorite; fibrous varieties, as chrysotile (sometimes called serpentine asbestos) and metaxite. Other minerals more or less closely allied to or identical with serpentine are picrolite, williamsite, bowenite, retinalite, baltimorite, vorhauserite, hydrophite, jenkinsite, villarsite, etc. Serpentine occurs widely distributed and in abundance, forming rock-masses, many of which were formerly regarded as being of eruptive origin, but which are now generally conceded to have been formed by the metamorphism of various rocks and minerals; indeed, it has not been proved that serpentine has ever been formed in any other way than this. The peridotites appear to have been peculiarly liable to this kind of alteration, or serpentinization, as it is called. Massive serpentine has been extensively used for both interior and exterior architectural and decorative purposes, but in only a few localities is a material quarried which stands outdoor exposure without soon losing its polish, and eventually becoming disintegrated. The serpentinous rock commonly called verd-antique, and known to lithologists as ophicalcite, is a very beautiful decorative material, and has been extensively employed for ornament in various parts of the world. See verd-antique.
  10. To wind like a serpent; move sinuously like a snake; meander; wriggle.
  11. n. In mathematics: The surface generated by a sphere whose center travels along a helix.
  12. n. A special curve of the third order.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. Sinuous; curving in alternate directions.
  2. adj. Having the shape or form of snake.
  3. adj. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of snakes.
  4. adj. Of, or having attributes associated with, the mythological serpent, such as craftiness or deceitfulness.
  5. n. Any of several plants believed to cure snakebites.
  6. n. An early form of cannon.
  7. n. A coiled distillation tube.
  8. v. archaic To serpentize; to turn or bend; to meander.
  9. adj. geology, botany Of or characteristic of serpentine rocks or the plants that grow there.
  10. n. mineralogy Any of several green/brown minerals consisting of a magnesium and iron silicates.
  11. n. mineralogy Any of many minerals that have the same layered crystal structure.
  12. n. geology An outcrop or region with soil and rock dominated by these minerals.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Resembling a serpent; having the shape or qualities of a serpent; subtle; winding or turning one way and the other, like a moving serpent; anfractuous; meandering; sinuous; zigzag.
  2. n. (Min.) A mineral or rock consisting chiefly of the hydrous silicate of magnesia. It is usually of an obscure green color, often with a spotted or mottled appearance resembling a serpent's skin. Precious, or noble, serpentine is translucent and of a rich oil-green color.
  3. n. (Ordnance) A kind of ancient cannon.
  4. v. rare To serpentize.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. resembling a serpent in form

Etymologies

  1. From Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns ("serpent"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English, from Old French serpentin, from Late Latin serpentīnus, from Latin serpēns, serpent-, serpent; see serpent. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Basanti queen of the Hijdas beauty beyond compare zeenath in serpentine snare sohel on the balls of his toes leaps in middair his entire body in prayer kaajal her bodily muskish odour attired emotions in good care babita, priya from singapore samba footed on the holy square”

    The Hijdas of Moti Katra « bollywoods most wanted photographerno1

  • “Her hands gripped his hair, her legs sliding in serpentine coils to lock behind his knees.”

    Busy Weekend - much accomplished...

  • “KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court today once again deferred its verdict on alleged international serial killer Charles Gurumukh Sobhraj's case, further prolonging the dubbed serpentine's seven-year battle against the three-decade old murder charge.”

    The Himalayan Times RSS

  • “Our Sunday camp was beside what might be called a serpentine curve or series of loops in the river.”

    Through the Grand Canyon from Wyoming to Mexico

  • “We had visited the asbestos claims, where the edge of a blanket formation of the rock known as serpentine, containing the asbestos, lay exposed to view, twisting around the head of narrow canyons, and under beetling cliffs.”

    Through the Grand Canyon from Wyoming to Mexico

  • “They are cut in the rock _in situ_, hard, blackish serpentine, which is a soft grey colour on the exposed surfaces.”

    From Edinburgh to India & Burmah

  • “The serpentine, which is very pure and of a fine green, varied with spots of a lighter tint, often appears only superimposed on the mica-slate.”

    Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1

  • “And that is what today's post is about-the unique plants and animals that call serpentine soil home.”

    Museum Blogs

  • “Dr. Ross and other opponents of the bill are concerned that removing serpentine, which is occasionally used in jewelry, as the state's rock would demonize it and thus inspire litigation against museums, property owners and other sites where the rocks sit; they cite the inclusion of a letter of support from the”

    The Volokh Conspiracy

  • “One must also take care of the so-called serpentine belts and fan belts.”

    MyLinkVault Newest Links

Show 10 more examples...

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘serpentine’.

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • reesetee In stamp collecting, the term for a wavy line impressed into stamp paper as an alternative to perforations for separating stamps. Aug 25, 2008

  • yarb ...the graceful repose of the line, as it silently serpentines about the oarsmen before being brought into actual play...

    - Melville, Moby-Dick, ch. 60 Jul 25, 2008

  • reesetee Indeed. Sep 12, 2007

  • evin290 Maury Yeston, apparently. Sep 12, 2007

  • reesetee Well, when you think of it--I mean, Titanic--a musical?? Who thinks up this stuff? Sep 9, 2007

  • evin290 Oh, no, Titanic is awful. Some of the music is sort of pretty, but the lyrics and book are horrendous! Sep 9, 2007

  • reesetee Thanks, Evin290. And I don't even like most musicals--certainly not this one.... Sep 8, 2007

  • evin290 Yes! You get 10 points, reesetee. :D Sep 7, 2007

  • reesetee Oooh! Titanic? The musical, that is.

    And if you do Google it now, this page will pop up. :-) Sep 7, 2007

  • evin290 "It will be like rowing in the Serpentine... come along, now, let us have a smile."

    10 points to anybody who knows what that's from.

    (and no Googling... that's just cheap. :P) Sep 7, 2007

Tweets

Looking for tweets for serpentine.

‘serpentine’ has been looked up 3220 times, loved by 18 people, added to 90 lists, commented on 10 times, and has a Scrabble score of 12.