"snake" in seven languages
Meaningsnake
Spanish
serpiente
/seɾˈpjente/
fem.inherited
Culebra (from COLUBRAM) is the everyday word for harmless snakes.
French
serpent
/sɛʁpɑ̃/
masc.inherited
Italian
serpente
/serˈpɛnte/
masc.inherited
Portuguese
cobra
/ˈkɔbɾɐ/
fem.other source · Latin COLUBRAM 'snake'
Serpente is literary; in English 'cobra' is a borrowing of this Portuguese word.
Romanian
șarpe
/ˈʃarpe/
masc.inherited
plural: șerpi
Catalan
serp
/sɛrp/
fem.inherited
English
snake
/sneɪk/
native English · Old English snaca
English → ItaliansnakeserpenteNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: serpent, serpentine.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
SERPENTEM‘creeping (thing), from SERPERE 'to creep'’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Literally 'the creeper'. Spanish made it feminine and diphthonged the e; French and Italian kept it masculine.
English relatives: serpent, serpentine
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esNo tengas miedo, esa serpiente no es venenosa.
- frN'aie pas peur, ce serpent n'est pas venimeux.
- itNon avere paura, quel serpente non è velenoso.
- ptNão tenha medo, essa cobra não é venenosa.
- roNu-ți fie frică, șarpele ăla nu e veninos.
- caNo tinguis por, aquesta serp no és verinosa.
- enDon't be afraid, that snake isn't poisonous.