What does anguine mean?
Anguine is a rare English adjective meaning snakelike — of, relating to, or resembling a snake. It derives from the Latin anguis, the ordinary word for a serpent, and it is used to describe winding shapes, sinuous movement, or anything that evokes the form and character of a serpent. In practice it appears most often in literary description, art criticism, and natural history: a reviewer might praise a dancer's anguine fluidity, or a writer might describe a river, road, or ornamental design as following an anguine course. Because snakes carry rich symbolic weight — wisdom, danger, deceit, healing — the word can shade toward the sinister or merely suggest elegant, liquid motion, depending on context. It is a formal, somewhat learned term, far less common than its near-synonyms serpentine and sinuous, which makes it a distinctive choice for writers who want precision with a touch of the unusual. Related technical terms such as anguid and anguimorph, used in zoology for certain legless lizards and their relatives, share the same Latin ancestor.
adjectiveOf, relating to, or resembling a snake; serpentine in form, movement, or character.
- Resembling or characteristic of a snake in shape, movement, or quality.
- Relating to snakes or serpents as a class.
"The river wound through the valley in an anguine curve, coiling between the hills like a serpent at rest."
"Her anguine grace on the dance floor made every movement look effortless and liquid."
"The manuscript's illuminated border was filled with anguine figures, dragons and serpents entwined around golden letters."
The same Latin word for 'snake' that lives inside anguine also names the slow-worm — a legless lizard scientists still classify under Anguis.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anguine
Anguine comes from the Latin adjective anguinus, 'of or pertaining to a snake', formed from anguis, the standard Latin noun for a serpent. The word entered English through scholarly and literary borrowing, likely in the early modern period, when Latin adjectives were routinely adapted into English descriptive vocabulary. Its Latin root also survives in scientific terminology: the slow-worm's genus name Anguis and the lizard families grouped as Anguimorpha all descend from the same word for snake.
How anguine is actually used
A rare, literary word found mostly in descriptive prose, art criticism, and natural-history writing. It carries a neutral-to-slightly-sinister connotation, since serpentine imagery often suggests slyness or danger, though it can simply describe graceful, winding motion. Writers seeking a commoner alternative usually reach for 'serpentine' or 'sinuous'.
Easily confused with anguine
Despite the similar spelling, anguish is a noun naming intense mental or emotional suffering, while anguine is an adjective describing anything snakelike or serpentlike.
Inguinal relates to the groin (from Latin inguen), whereas anguine relates to snakes (from Latin anguis); the shared '-uine' ending invites confusion.