Serpens, serpentis, Nomen tam masc. qum fœ. Pli. A serpent: all Vermine that creepeth.
Serpo, serpis, serpsi, serptum, sérpere. Plini. To creepe: to proceede or go forward by little and little: to go or slide on the bellie as serpents doe. To spread abroade by little and little, as hearbes doe, growing close to the ground.Vipera serpit humo, Ouid.Serpit draco subter supraqué reuoluens sese.Cic.Serpere per humum dicitur herba, Plin.Ad humum serpere, Ouid.Humi serpere, Horat. Serpere homo etium dicitur, per translationem, Ci.To pro-ceede forward in a thing by little and little.Hedera serpit.Virg.Hoc in immensum serpit, Cicer.This thing spreadeth ver largely.Serpit per omnium vitam amicitia, Cic.Friendship spreadeth it selfe in all mens life.Serpit ardor, Cic.Attende quò se rpat argumentum, Cic.Si paulatim hæc consuetudo serpere ac prodire cœperit, Ci.If this custome begin to be taken vp by little & little.Dira per incautum serpant contagia vulgus, Virg.Altius cura serpit. Plin. Care doth more augment it selfe, or wareth more.Flamma serpit, Liu The flame increaseth.Flammæ tacitæ serpunt in viscera, Ouid.Facilè serpit iniuria, Cic.Lachrymæ serpunt per vulnera, Stat, The teares run down by, &c. Lues serpit. Mart. Latius opinione disseminatÛ est hoc malum: manauit nõ solum per Italiam, verumetiam transcendit Alpes, & obscurè serpens multas iam prouincias occupauit, Cic.Murmur serpit per agmina, Virg.Serpit hic rumor, Cic.This rumour increaseth or goeth abroade. Simulatio quæ serpebat in dies. Cic.Vlcera serpentia. Plin. Running sores, as tetters, &c.Vlcus serpit latius atque altius. Cels. Serpere latius, vel longius.Liu.
serpo, psi, ptum, 3 (serpsit antiqui pro serpserit usi sunt, Fest. p. 348 Müll.), v. n. [root serp, kindr. with e(/rpw, repo], to creep, crawl (freq. and class.). I.Lit. (only of animals; while repo is also used of persons who creep or go slowly; v. repo, I.): serpere anguiculos, nare anaticulas, evolare merulas, etc., Cic. Fin. 5, 15, 42: alia animalia gradiendo, alia serpendo ad pastum accedunt, id. N. D. 2, 47, 122: serpentes quasdam (bestias), quasdam esse gradientes, id. Tusc. 5, 13, 38: (anguis) per humum, Ov. M. 15, 689: vipera imā humo, id. P. 3, 3, 102: draco In platanum, id. M. 12, 13: serpentia secla ferarum, i. e.
the serpents
, Lucr. 6, 766.—In late Lat. pass.: cum terra nullo serpatur angue,
was crawled over
, Sol. 22, 10.—B.Transf., of things, to move slowly or imperceptibly, to creep along, proceed gradually, etc. (mostly poet.): has (stellas) inter, torvus Draco serpit, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 42, 106: sol serpens, Lucr. 5, 690.— Of streams: an te, Cydne, canam, qui leniter ... placidis per vada serpis aquis,
creepest
,
windest along
, Tib. 1, 7, 14: in freta vicina Numicius, Ov. M. 14, 598: Ister tectis in mare serpit aquis, id. Tr. 3, 10, 30: in sicco serpentem pulvere rivum, Luc. 9, 974: lacrimae serpunt per vulnera, Stat. Th. 11, 608: exsistit sacer ignis et urit corpore serpens,
slowly spreading
, Lucr. 6, 660; so, flamma per continua, Liv. 30, 6: aestus aetheris, Lucr. 5, 523; 6, 1120 (with repere): fallacem patriae serpere dixit equum (Trojanum),
was creeping along
, Prop. 3, 13 (4, 12), 64.—Of plants: vitis serpens multiplici lapsu et erratico, Cic. Sen. 15, 52; cf.: lithospermos (herba) jacet atque serpit humi, Plin. 27, 11, 74, 99; so, chamaeleon, id. 22, 18, 21, 45; cf.: liber per colla, Ov. M. 9, 389: caules per terram, Plin. 21, 16, 59, 99: rami in terram, id. 27, 9, 58, 82: radices inter se, id. 17, 20, 33, 144: sine tempora circum Inter victrices hederam tibi serpere lauros, Verg. E. 8, 13; Laber. ap Macr. S. 2, 7; Col. 10, 119.—Of the growth of the hair: per tua lanugo cum serpere coeperit ora, Claud. IV. Cons. Hon. 641.—Of fire: dein per continua serpens (flamma) omnia incendio hausit, Liv. 30, 6: sive ipsi (ignes) serpere possunt quo cibus vocat, Lucr. 5, 523; cf. id. 6, 660.—Of disease, etc.: si ulcus latius atque altius serpit,
gradually spreads
, Cels. 6, 18, 2 med.: dira contagia per vulgus, Verg. G. 3, 469: cancer, Ov. M. 2, 826: carcinoma, Plin. 29, 2, 10, 37: atra lues in vultus, Mart. 1, 79, 2 al.: per membra senectus, Lucr. 1, 415: quies, Verg. A. 2, 269: somnus, Plin. 7, 24, 24, 90.—II.Trop., to creep, crawl; to extend gradually or imperceptibly; to spread abroad, increase, prevail (a favorite trope of Cic.): neque enim serpit, sed volat in optimum statum res publica, Cic. Rep. 2, 18, 33: serpere occulte coepisti nihil dum aliis suspicantibus, id. de Or. 2, 50, 203: (hoc malum) obscure serpens multas jam provincias occupavit, id. Cat. 4, 3, 6: malum longius, id. Rab. Post. 6, 15; id. Phil. 1, 2, 5; id. Att. 1, 13, 3; id. de Or. 3, 24, 94: serpit deinde res, id. Lael. 12, 41; cf.: ne latius serperet res, Liv. 28, 15 fin.; so, latius, id. 40, 19 fin.; cf. Plin. Ep. 5, 4, 3: serpit nescio quo modo per omnium vitas amicitia, Cic. Lael. 23, 87: si semel suscipimus genus hoc argumenti, attende quo serpat, id. N. D. 1, 35, 98; 3, 20, 52: quam facile serpat injuria et peccandi consuetudo, id. Verr. 2, 2, 22, 53; cf. id. Div. in Caecil. 21, 68: serpit hic rumor, id. Mur. 21, 45: fama per coloniam, Plin. Ep. 9, 33, 5: per agmina murmur, Verg. A. 12, 239: murmura plebis, Stat. Th. 1, 168: cura altius, Plin. 14, 11, 13, 87: serpente latius bello, Flor. 2, 2, 15; 2, 9, 4.—Of a low, grovelling poetic style: (poëta) Serpit humi tutus,
crawls along the earth
, Hor. A. P. 28 (cf.: sermones Repentes per humum, id. Ep. 2, 1, 251).—Hence, serpens, entis (gen. plur. serpentium, Vitr. 8, 4; 9, 6; Nep. Hann. 11, 5; Hor. Epod. 1, 20; Cels. 5, 27, 3; but also, mostly poet. and later, serpentum, Verg. A. 8, 436; 12, 848; Ov. M. 7, 534; Luc. 9, 608 al.), f. (sc. bestia); less freq. and mostly poet. and eccl. Lat., m. (sc. draco), a creeping thing, a creeper, crawler (cf. reptilis). A.*kat) e)coxh/n, i. e. a snake, serpent (syn.: anguis, coluber); fem.: quaedam serpentes ortae extra aquam, etc., Cic. N. D. 2, 48, 124; Lucr. 4, 60; 4, 638; Ov. M. 1, 447; 1, 454; 2, 652; id. Am. 2, 13, 13; Hor. C. 1, 37, 27; Luc. 9, 397; Nep. Hann. 10, 4 al.— Masc., Lucr. 5, 33; Verg. A. 2, 214; 5, 273; 11, 753; Ov. M. 3, 38; 3, 325; 4, 570; Hor. S. 1, 3, 27; Luc. 9, 324; cf. Sall. J. 89, 5, and Quint. 2, 4, 19: igniti, Vulg. Num. 21, 6.— In apposition with draco, Suet. Tib. 72.— Also neutr. plur. serpentia, Vulg. Act. 10, 12. —2.Transf., the Serpent, as a constellation. a. Between the Great and the Little Bear, = anguis and draco, Ov. M. 2, 173; Hyg. Astr. 3, 1.—b. In the hand of Ophiuchus (Anguitenens, Anguifer), = anguis, Vitr. 9, 6; Hyg. Astr. 2, 14; 3, 13; cf. Plin. 2, 25, 23, 93.—B. A creeping insect on the human body, a louse, Plin. 7, 51, 52, 172; App. Flor. p. 354, 4.