Definition

Noun: - The worship of snakes: The religious veneration, adoration, or ritualistic practice centered on snakes or serpent deities. This is a specific form of zoolatry (animal worship) found in various historical and cultural traditions.

Usage

• Serpent-worship is used as a compound noun to describe a specific religious or cultural practice. It is typically used in anthropological, historical, or religious studies contexts.
• It functions as a subject, object, or complement in a sentence.

Examples

• Scholars have studied serpent-worship in ancient Minoan culture.
• The tribe's rituals included elements of serpent-worship.
• Serpent-worship was a notable feature in several pre-Columbian religions.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used in academic discussions about the evolution of religious symbols, where the serpent often represents duality (e.g., good/evil, life/death, healing/poison).
• It may appear in analyses of mythology, where serpent deities like the Aztec Quetzalcoatl or the Hindu Nāgas are central figures.

Variants and Related Words

• Ophiolatry: (Noun) A more technical, synonymous term for serpent-worship, derived from Greek ('ophis' meaning serpent).
• Zoolatry: (Noun) The worship of animals, a broader category that includes serpent-worship.
• Serpent: (Noun) The object of worship in this practice.
• Worship: (Noun/Verb) The act of showing reverence and adoration.

Synonyms

• Ophiolatry

Notes

• Serpent-worship is a fixed compound noun. The hyphen is typically used to link the two words into a single concept.
• It is a specific, uncountable noun referring to the practice or system of worship itself, not to a single instance. One would not typically say "a serpent-worship."

Noun

1. the worship of snakes