serpentine definition | Dictionary.com

ser⋅pen⋅tine

1 [sur-puh

n-teen, -tahyn]

adjective, noun, verb, -tined, -tin⋅ing.

–adjective

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

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

3.	shrewd, wily, or cunning.

–noun

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

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

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

–verb (used without object)

7.	to make or follow a winding course: The stream serpentines through the valley.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME (adj.) < L serpentīnus snakelike, equiv. to serpent- serpent + -īnus ine¹

Synonyms:
2. twisting, snaking, tortuous.

ser⋅pen⋅tine

2 [sur-puh

n-teen, -tahyn]

–noun

a common mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, H₂Mg₃Si₂O₂, usually oily green and sometimes spotted, occurring in many varieties: used for architectural and decorative purposes.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME serpentyn < ML serpentīnum, n. use. of neut. of serpentīnus serpentine ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To serpentine

ser·pen·tine (sûr'pən-tēn', -tīn')

adj.

Of or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement; sinuous.
Subtly sly and tempting.

n. (-tēn')
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.

[Middle English, from Old French serpentin, from Late Latin serpentīnus, from Latin serpēns, serpent-, serpent; see serpent.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Serpentine

Ser"pen*tine\, a. [L. serpentinus: cf. F. serpentin.] 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; as, serpentine braid.

Thy shape Like his, and color serpentine. --Milton.

Serpentine

Ser"pen*tine\, n. [Cf. (for sense 1) F. serpentine, (for sense 2) serpentin.]

1. (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.

Note: Serpentine has been largely produced by the alteration of other minerals, especially of chrysolite.

2. (Ordnance) A kind of ancient cannon.

Serpentine

Ser"pen*tine\, v. i. To serpentize. [R.] --Lyttleton.

serpentine (n.)

c.1408, "plant reputed to contain antivenom," from O.Fr. serpentin (fem. serpentine), from L.L. serpentius "of a serpent," from L. serpentem (nom. serpens) "snake" (see serpent). As the name of a greenish mineral, attested from 1426. The adj. meaning "twisting, winding" first recorded 1615 (an earlier adj. meaning "having the evil qualities of a serpent" is recorded from 1387). The winding lake of that name in Hyde Park, London, was constructed in 1730.

serpentine (sûr'pən-tēn', -tīn') Pronunciation Key
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)₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄.

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