serpo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈsɛr.poː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɛr.po]^[1]

Forms

serpō (present infinitive serpere, perfect active serpsī, supine serptum); third conjugation, no passive^[1] Festus reports an old form serpsit for serpserit.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *serpe/o-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sérpeti (“to creep”).^[4][1] Cognate with Sanskrit सर्पति (sárpati, “to creep, crawl”), Ancient Greek ἕρπω (hérpō, “to creep”) and Albanian gjarpër (“snake”).^[4][2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan's first attestation is Lucilius, whom Köbler dates c. 180–102 BC.^[4][5] The OLD's earliest citations are from Cicero.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant to crawl, creep, as a snake, in Cicero, and to wind like a snake.^[2] In Varro it meant to spread gradually, and Cicero and Pliny the Elder used it of plants, Lucretius and Livy of fire.^[2][6] Lewis and Short note that it is used literally only of animals, while rēpere is also used of people moving slowly.^[3] Döderlein explains serpere as moving without feet, by twisting the body, rēpere as creeping with small feet and short steps.^[7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to creep, crawl.^[8] Its participle serpēns became the word for a snake, and gave English serpent through Old French about 1300.^[4][9]

Timeline

• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it.^[4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of crawling and winding.^[2][5]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of spreading gradually.^[2][5]
• c. 1300 – English serpent is recorded.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. To crawl, creep.^[2]
2. To wind.^[2]
3. To spread gradually, creep on.^[2]

Word family

• dēserpō
• disserpō
• īnserpō
• perserpō
• prōserpō
• serpēdō
• serpentāria
• serpentifōrmis
• serpentigena
• serpentīnus
• serpentipēs
• serpula

Related words

• serpēns
• rēpō
• English serpent

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes it from rēpō.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com