serpiente

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *serp-

Proto-Indo-European *sérpeti

Proto-Italic *serpō

Proto-Italic *serpents

Latin serpēns

Spanish serpiente

From Latin serpentem. Doublet of sierpe. Cognate with English serpent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seɾˈpjente/ [seɾˈpjẽn̪.t̪e]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ente
• Syllabification: ser‧pien‧te

Noun

serpiente f (plural serpientes)

1. snake, serpent (legless reptile of the sub-order Serpentes)

   Synonyms: culebra, (archaic) sierpe

2. (specifically) a large or medium-sized snake
3. (figuratively) snake

   Synonym: traidor

Usage notes

• In the sense of "traitor," serpiente can be masculine.

Derived terms

• serpiente de anteojos
• serpiente de cascabel
• serpiente de cristal
• serpiente de verano
• serpiente marina

Related terms

• serpentino

See also

• anguila f
• víbora f

Further reading

• “serpiente”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025