1. serpo — Lewis & Short
serpo, psi, ptum, 3 (serpsit antiqui pro serpserit usi sunt, v. n.root serp, kindr. with e(/rpw, repo,
Fest. p. 348 Müll.),I 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,Cic. 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.