beast; animal which goes on all fours
Ancient Greek word, found 80 times in the texts on Socratos.
Homer, Odyssey 4.418: ἑρπετὰ γίγνονται, καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ θεσπιδαὲς πῦρ·
Herodotus, Histories 1.140.3: … ς καὶ ἀνθρώπου κτείνουσι, καὶ ἀγώνισμα μέγα τοῦτο ποιεῦνται, κτείνοντες ὁμοίως μύρμηκάς τε καὶ ὄφις καὶ τἆλλα ἑρπετὰ καὶ πετεινά. καὶ ἀμφὶ μὲν τῷ νόμῳ τούτῳ ἐχέτω ὡς καὶ ἀρχὴν ἐνομίσθη, ἄνειμι δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν πρότερον λόγον.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1.502: αὐτῇσιν νύμφῃσι καὶ ἑρπετὰ πάντʼ ἐγένοντο.
All forms of ἑρπετόν