A reptile or creature that crawls, especially referring to snakes or other cold-blooded animals.
From Greek 'herpeton' meaning 'creeping thing,' derived from 'herpein' (to creep). This root entered English through scientific and medical terminology in the 18th-19th centuries.
This root is the basis for an entire family of words about reptiles and creeping things—herpetology, herpetophobia, even herpes (named because the rash 'creeps' across the skin)!
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