serpent
serpent — 名詞
1. a long, thin reptile that has no legs and moves by sliding its body along the gr
蛇
無四肢、滑行移動的爬行動物
a long, thin reptile that has no legs and moves by sliding its body along the ground
Salma saw a green serpent slither across the path during her hike.
Salma 在健行時看到一條綠色的蛇滑過小徑。
collocation: slither across [surface]
A small, dark serpent lay coiled under the rocks near the riverbank.
一條黑色小蛇蜷曲在河岸附近的岩石下方。
The old farmer warned us that serpents often hide in tall grass.
老農夫警告我們，蛇經常躲在長草叢中。
Be careful — a brightly coloured serpent might be venomous.
小心——顏色鮮豔的蛇可能是有毒的。
- snake
everyday word; serpent is more formal and literary
用法筆記
Serpent is a more formal or literary word than snake. In everyday conversation, snake is the usual choice.
常見錯誤
2. a very large snake, often one that appears in ancient stories, myths, or religio
巨蛇
神話或傳說中的大蛇
a very large snake, often one that appears in ancient stories, myths, or religious texts
In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a monstrous serpent with many heads.
在希臘神話中，海德拉是一隻有許多頭的巨蛇。
mythological context: Hydra / monstrous serpent
The legend tells of a giant serpent that guarded a hidden temple.
傳說中提到一條守衛隱藏神廟的巨蛇。
Marco said he saw a serpent as thick as a tree trunk in the jungle.
Marco 說他在叢林中看到一條有樹幹那麼粗的巨蛇。
An ancient carving showed a coiled serpent wrapped around a warrior's arm.
古代的雕刻展現了一條纏繞在戰士手臂上的盤蛇。
Wren's grandmother told her a story about a sea serpent that caused storms.
Wren 的祖母講了一個海巨蛇引發風暴的故事。
- dragon
a mythical creature with legs and wings; not a true synonym but overlaps in legendary contexts
用法筆記
Common in descriptions of mythology, religious texts (especially the serpent in the Book of Genesis), and fantasy literature. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always implies unusual size or legendary status.