Snake
/sneɪk/noun
A limbless reptile with a long body and no external legs.
Did you know?English snake is related to words meaning “to creep” and “to crawl,” showing that the name was built around movement long before it became a symbol of fear, wisdom, and deceit.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sneg-
“to creep, crawl”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*snakô
“snake, serpent”
Old English
OE
snaca
“snake, serpent”
Middle English
Middle English
snake
“snake, serpent”
Modern English
English
snake
“a limbless reptile”