Question
16 Mar 2016
- Japanese
-
English (US)
-
English (UK)
Question about English (UK)
What is the difference between snake and serpent ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between snake and serpent ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
Answers
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Deleted user
A snake is 蛇. A serpent is a large snake, but the word is mostly used in literary contexts.
- English (UK)
Serpent is more old fashioned. Snake is commonly used.
- Japanese
- English (UK)
Both snake and serpent can be used interchangeably but in modern usage serpent is used mainly as metaphor especially to describe someone who is very deceptive.
Also in mythology a serpent is a snake, lizard or dragon like creature.
- Japanese
I am grateful for your minute explanation!
- English (UK)
- Irish Near fluent
Serpent refers to the long, flexible reptiles, including snakes, lizards etc. and as said above used in art and mythology to refer to dragons and firedrakes.
Also related to that is the word serpentine used to describe something wavy or wiggly. Like "The road was very serpentine." It's not a common phrases but it's quiet handy to know.
- English (UK)
- French (France) Near fluent
- English (UK)
Yes, snake in Serpent mean the same thing. However in every day language he would use the word snake The previous answer that Serpent is used in amore literary Context is correct
- English (UK)
Snakes and serpents are the same thing, a snake (serpent) can be either venomous (poisonous) or non venomous ( non poisonous). There is no difference in the meaning between snake and serpent

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