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# serpent

«serpent» in Mova's school dictionary: **A snake, especially a big one** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a serpent, serpents)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (literary, old) A snake, especially a big one. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#m1)

2) In myths and stories, a huge snake-like monster such as a sea serpent. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#m2)

3) (old, figurative) A sly, tricky person who cannot be trusted. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In stories, myths and the Bible, serpents are often clever or dangerous; dragons and sea serpents appear in legends. In science lessons we say «snake». In maths stories, a serpent's length may be measured or compared. Phrases: «sea serpent», «a serpent's tongue».

### examples

- The knight fought a giant serpent. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#x1)
- Sailors told tales of sea serpents. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#x2)
- The serpent hissed and slid under a rock. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#x3)
- In the story, a cunning serpent tricks the hero. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#x4)
- The serpent was 9 metres long, three times as long as the boat. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#x5)
- The river curved like a serpent through the valley. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#x6)
- But look! the serpent himself is coming!" [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/#x7)

### note

Countable: serpents. Literary; everyday word: snake. Adjective: serpentine (winding like a snake). Sea serpents are legends, not real animals.

### In the corpora

- [The serpent persuaded Eve that God was keeping something good from her; she ate the fruit and gave some to Adam.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/2-adam-and-eve-cain-and-abel/10/)
- [After eating, Adam and Eve hid from God; Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/2-adam-and-eve-cain-and-abel/11/)
- [Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.60/)
- [And the woman said unto the serpent: 'Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.62/)
- [And the serpent said unto the woman: 'Ye shall not surely die;](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.64/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «serpent» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serpent/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.