Italian word of the day
| Pronunciation | |
| English translation | Snake |
| Origin | From the Latin word serpens, from serpĕre, “to slither” |
Different forms of serpente
Like most nouns in Italian, serpente has two articles (definite or indefinite articles) and two numbers (singular or plural).
Un serpente
A snake
Dei serpenti
Some snakes
Il serpente
The snake
I serpenti
The snakes
You can also say serpe, but serpente is more common. Serpe has a negative connotation.
| La serpe | The snake |
Examples
| Il serpente sibila. | The snake hisses. |
| I serpenti mi terrorizzano. | Snakes terrify me. |
| Ho appena toccato un serpente. | I just touched a snake. |
| Ho paura dei serpenti. | I’m scared of snakes. |
Related words
| Serpente a sonagli | Rattlesnake | |
| Serpente dagli occhiali | Cobra | |
| Pelle di serpente | Snakeskin |
The pelle di serpente is a hide that is used to make bags.
For example, you can say:
| Tom è stato morso da un serpente a sonagli. | Tom was bitten by a rattlesnake. |
| Ho trovato una pelle di serpente in soffitta. Come c’è finita lì? | I found a snakeskin in the attic. How did it get there? |
A snake can be venomous:
| Serpente velenoso | Venomous snake |
| Qual è il serpente più velenoso al mondo? | Which is the most venomous snake in the world? |
Some common verbs that are used with snake in Italian are strisciare (to slither), attorcigliarsi (to twist around), guizzare (to dart) and sibilare (to hiss).
Of course, snakes can also mordere, to bite.
| Morso di serpente | Snake’s bite |
Finally, the snake that bites its tail (il serpente che si mangia la coda) in a neverending cyrcle is called uroboro (ouroboros).
| Uroboro | Ouroboros |
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