Editing Snake (section)

== Etymology ==
The English word ''snake'' comes from [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|snaca}}, itself from [[Proto-Germanic]] {{lang|gem-x-proto|*snak-an-}} ([[cf.]] [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] {{lang|gem|Schnake}} 'ring snake', Swedish {{lang|sv|snok}} 'grass snake'), from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root {{lang|ine-x-proto|*(s)nēg-o-}} 'to crawl to creep', which also gave ''sneak'' as well as [[Sanskrit]] {{transliteration|sa|nāgá}} 'snake'.<ref>Proto-IE: {{lang|ine-x-proto|*(s)nēg-o-}}, Meaning: snake, Old Indian: nāgá- m. 'snake', Germanic: {{lang|gem|*snēk-a-}} m., {{lang|gem|*snak-an-}} m., {{lang|gem|*snak-ō}} f.; {{lang|gem|*snak-a-}} vb., Russ. meaning: {{lang|ru|жаба}} ({{lang|ru|змея}}), References: WP ({{lang|de|[[Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch|Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen]]}}) II 697 f.</ref> The word ousted ''[[wikt:adder|adder]]'', as ''adder'' went on to narrow in meaning, though in Old English {{lang|ang|næddre}} was the general word for snake.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/snake |title=snake (n.) |website=etymonline.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719112253/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=snake |archive-date=July 19, 2010 |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2009}}</ref> The other term, ''serpent'', is from French, ultimately from Indo-European {{lang|ine-x-proto|*serp-}} 'to creep',<ref name="serpent">{{cite web |work=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |title=Definition of serpent |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serpent |access-date=12 October 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017210917/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serpent |archive-date=October 17, 2007}}</ref> which also gave [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|ἕρπω}} ({{transliteration|grc|hérpō}}) 'I crawl' and Sanskrit {{transliteration|sa|sarpá}} ‘snake’.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2aqp2n2mKkC&pg=PA193|title=Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans: A Reconstruction and Historical Analysis of a Proto-Language and Proto-Culture. |first1=Thomas V.|last1=Gamkrelidze|first2=Vjaceslav V.|last2=Ivanov|date=2010|isbn=9783110815030|page=193|publisher=Walter de Gruyter }}</ref>