the Serpent, a constellation consisting of two separate parts, the head (Serpens Caput) and the tail (Serpens Cauda) with Ophiuchus in between.
Origin
< Latinserpēns serpent, orig. present participle of serpere to creep, crawl; cognate with Greekhérpēs (cf. herpes, herpetology)
British Dictionary definitions for Serpens
Serpens
/ˈsɜːpənz/
noun (Latin genitive) Serpentis (səˈpɛntɪs)
1.
a faint extensive constellation situated in the N and S equatorial regions and divided into two parts, Serpens Caput (the head) lying between Ophiuchus and Boötes and Serpens Cauda (the tail) between Ophiuchus and Aquila