A Question of Etymology

[Just_Me]

Ok, so this has bugged me ever since the first of Forge World's (excellent) Horus Heresy books introduced Volkite weapons, specifically the Volkite Serpenta. Where does the term "Serpenta" come from? Now with the Skitarii Codex out we have other instances of the term used for pistols and it's bugging me again. I can backtrack "Caliver" and "Culverin" and even "Jezzail" to various forms of firearm with a couple seconds worth of Google-fu, but what about "Serpenta?"

[Tyrendian]

From the Wikipedia article on Culverins:

The term "culverin" is derived from the Latin, colubrinus, or "of the nature of a snake". It was originally the name of a medieval ancestor of the musket, used in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Rather obscure, at least in English - the German term for a Culverin is "Feldschlange" ("Schlange"="Snake") or "Serpent", which is how I got there

[Haighus]

I have a similar query for the Volkite Chierovile, which seems to just mean nasty sword, although I guess that works.

That is a very interesting point Tyrendian, I wonder if that is it.

[Chris*ta]

A Serpentine is a part of a matchlock gun corresponding to the hammer on a modern firearm.

It has jaws that hold the burning wick (the "match") and is attached to the hammer so that the match is lowered to set light to the flashpan when the hammer is pulled. The name refers to the S-shaped curve it has.

But:
1) I can't find the term being used to refer to the whole gun, rather than just the part, and;
2) why it's "serpenta" rather than something else is unclear. My guess is that they back-formed a faux-Latin word from English either "serpent" or "serpentine", and were unhappy with the actual Latin "serpens" because they thought their audience wouldn't get its association with "serpent"/"serpentine".

[Drew da Destroya]

They also likely wanted something vaguely hinting at the existence of the C'Tan "Void Dragon" in the Noctis Labyrinth. Many times in literature, a dragon is referred to as a "Serpent", both because it's a reptile and because it's related to the Devil (the Serpent in the Garden of Eden).

[Binary77]

A Serpentine is a part of a matchlock gun corresponding to the hammer on a modern firearm.

It has jaws that hold the burning wick (the "match") and is attached to the hammer so that the match is lowered to set light to the flashpan when the hammer is pulled. The name refers to the S-shaped curve it has.

But:
1) I can't find the term being used to refer to the whole gun, rather than just the part, and;
2) why it's "serpenta" rather than something else is unclear. My guess is that they back-formed a faux-Latin word from English either "serpent" or "serpentine", and were unhappy with the actual Latin "serpens" because they thought their audience wouldn't get its association with "serpent"/"serpentine".

Pretty much this, but I always got the indication that there were other influences.
Anyone remember Stargate SG-1? The Goa'uld Zat'nik'tel. Energy pistol that was serpent shaped hence "serpenta"?

Mark

[Brenlak]

They also likely wanted something vaguely hinting at the existence of the C'Tan "Void Dragon" in the Noctis Labyrinth. Many times in literature, a dragon is referred to as a "Serpent", both because it's a reptile and because it's related to the Devil (the Serpent in the Garden of Eden).

I always forget there are Necrons under Mars, any cool fluff to read in that dex or is it pretty skinny?

[Katharon]

Any of your average Medieval: Total War fans could answer this question pretty quickly.