1 usu. literary. a a snake, esp. of a large kind. b a scaly limbless reptile.
2 a sly or treacherous person, esp. one who exploits a position of trust to betray it.
3 Mus. an old bass wind instrument made from leather-covered wood, roughly in the form of an S.
4 (the Serpent) Bibl. Satan (see Gen. 3, Rev. 20).
Etymology: ME f. OF f. L serpens -entis part. of serpere creep
Useful english dictionary. 2012.