serpentine

\sɛʁ.pɑ̃.tin\

/\sɛʁ.pɑ̃.tin\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“serpentine” is uncommon French (frequency #52,342 among 394,209 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,342
frequency rank, French
394,209
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Minéral vert dont le chatoiement rappelle la peau d'un serpent. Elle constitue la majeure partie de la roche nommée serpentinite.

Key facts for serpentine
PropertyValue
Headwordserpentine
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sɛʁ.pɑ̃.tin\
Letters10
Frequency rank#52,342
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “serpentine” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). serpentine lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

serpentine is uncommon French at frequency #52,342 among 394,209 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \sɛʁ.pɑ̃.tin\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 10 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for serpentine, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is serpentine, spelled S-E-R-P-E-N-T-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Minéral vert dont le chatoiement rappelle la peau d'un serpent. Elle constitue la majeure partie de la roche nommée serpentinite.
  2. 2
    Pierre fine tachetée comme la peau d’un serpent.
  3. 3
    Marbre serpentin.
  4. 4
    Plante exotique nommée aussi ophioxyle dont le bois, appelé bois de serpent, était employé autrefois en médecine comme sudorifique et fébrifuge et passait pour guérir des morsures de certains serpents. (Note : il s'agit probablement de Rauvolfia serpentina, dont l'ancien nom était Ophioxylon serpentinum .)
  5. 5
    Nom usuel de Echium vulgare.
  6. 6
    Figure de manège au tracé ondulant.
  7. 7
    Courbe algébrique du 3ᵉ degré qui coupent leur asymptote, anciennement nommée anguinée.
  8. 8
    Canon en usage au xvᵉ et xviᵉ siècle. Il existe aussi une demie-serpentine, plus petite.
  9. 9
    Sorte de guipure.
  10. 10
    Ancien mécanisme de mise à feu des fusils utilisant une mèche, platine à mèche.

This word in other languages

serpentine(English)serpentina(Español)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "serpentine"?
"serpentine" is spelled S-E-R-P-E-N-T-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \sɛʁ.pɑ̃.tin\.
What does "serpentine" mean?
As a noun, "serpentine" means: Minéral vert dont le chatoiement rappelle la peau d'un serpent. Elle constitue la majeure partie de la roche nommée serpentinite.
How do you pronounce "serpentine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "serpentine" is \sɛʁ.pɑ̃.tin\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "serpentine" come from?
"serpentine" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “serpentine”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is S-E-R-P-E-N-T-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sɛʁ.pɑ̃.tin\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list