serpentine
adj.adj. winding and twisting like a snake. You use this to describe things with many curves, like a road or a river.
adj. resembling a serpent in form or movement; sinuous and winding. Often describes physical paths or complex, indirect processes.
The car drove slowly down the serpentine mountain road.
The river followed a serpentine path through the valley, creating deep loops in the green landscape.
Navigating the serpentine bureaucracy of the regional government required more patience than the young entrepreneur had originally anticipated.
From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentin, from Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns (“serpent”), equivalent to serpent + -ine.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used to describe physical geography or metaphorical complexity.
Last updated May 9, 2026