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serpent: serpent: [14] The serpent is etymologically a ‘crawling’ animal. The word comes via Old French serpent from Latin serpēns, a noun use of the present participle of serpere ‘crawl, creep’. This was a close relative of Greek hérpein ‘creep’, from which English gets herpes [17] (etymologically the ‘creeping’ disease) and herpetology ‘study of reptiles’ [19].
=> herpes
amphibian (adj.): 1630s, "having two modes of existence, of doubtful nature," from Greek amphibia, neuter plural of amphibios "living a double life," from amphi- "of both kinds" (see amphi-) + bios "life" (see bio-).

Formerly used by zoologists to describe all sorts of combined natures (including otters and seals), the biological sense "class of animals between fishes and reptiles that live both on land and in water" and the noun derivative both are first recorded 1835. Amphibia was used in this sense from c. 1600 and has been a zoological classification since c. 1819.
caiman (n.): also cayman, 1570s, from Portuguese or Spanish caiman, from Carib acayouman "crocodile," or perhaps from a Congo African word applied to the reptiles in the new world by African slaves. "The name appears to be one of those like anaconda and bom, boma, which the Portuguese or Spaniards very early caught up in one part of the world, and naturalized in another." [OED]
cold-blooded (adj.): also cold blooded; 1590s, of persons, "without emotion, unfeeling;" of actions, from 1828. The phrase refers to the old notion that blood temperature rose with excitement. In the literal sense, of reptiles, etc., from c. 1600. From cold (adj.) + blood (n.). Related: Cold-bloodedly; cold-bloodedness.
herpetology (n.): "study of reptiles," 1816, from French herpétologie (18c.), coined from Greek herpeton "reptile," literally "creeping thing," from herpein "to creep" (see serpent) + logia (see -logy). Related: Herpetologist.
ophidiophobia (n.): 1914, "excessive fear of snakes or reptiles," from ophidio- apparently extracted from Modern Latin ophidia, a word coined arbitrarily (to provide an -ia form to serve as an order name in taxonomy) from Greek ophis "serpent" (see ophio-) + -phobia.
reptile (n.): late 14c., "creeping or crawling animal," from Old French reptile (early 14c.) and directly from Late Latin reptile, noun use of neuter of reptilis (adj.) "creping, crawling," from rept-, past participle stem of repere "to crawl, creep," from PIE root *rep- "to creep, crawl" (cognates: Lithuanian replioju "to creep"). Used of persons of low character from 1749.

Precise scientific use began to develop mid-18c., but the word was used as well at first of animals now known as amphibians, including toads, frogs, salamanders; separation of Reptilia (1835 as a distinct class) and Amphibia took place early 19c.; popular use lagged, and reptile still was used late 18c. with sense "An animal that creeps upon many feet" [Johnson, who calls the scorpion a reptile], sometimes excluding serpents.
And the terrestrial animals may be divided into quadrupeds or beasts, reptiles, which have many feet, and serpents, which have no feet at all. [Locke, "Elements of Natural Philosophy," 1689]

An inadvertent step may crush the snail
That crawls at ev'ning in the public path ;
But he that has humanity, forewarn'd,
Will tread aside, and let the reptile live.
[Cowper, "The Task," 1785]
The Old English word for "reptile" was slincend, related to slink.
saurian (n.): reptile of the order Sauria, 1819, from Modern Latin sauria "the order of reptiles," from Greek sauros "lizard" (see -saurus). Sauropod is 1891, from Modern Latin sauropoda (O.C. Marsh, 1884), second element from Greek pous "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot (n.)).
slink (v.): Old English slincan "to creep, crawl" (of reptiles), from Proto-Germanic *slinkan (cognates: Swedish slinka "to glide," Dutch slinken "to shrink, shrivel;" related to sling (v.)). Of persons, attested from late 14c. Related: Slinked; slinking.
ecdysis: "The process of shedding the old skin (in reptiles) or casting off the outer cuticle (in insects and other arthropods)", Mid 19th century: from Greek ekdusis, from ekduein 'put off', from ek- 'out, off' + duein 'put'.
Testudines: "An order of reptiles which comprises the turtles, terrapins, and tortoises. They are distinguished by having a shell of bony plates covered with horny scales, and many kinds are aquatic", Modern Latin (plural), based on Latin testa 'shell'.
allantois: "The fetal membrane lying below the chorion in many vertebrates, formed as an outgrowth of the embryo’s gut. In birds and reptiles it grows to surround the embryo; in eutherian mammals it forms part of the placenta", Mid 17th century: modern Latin, based on Greek allantoeidēs 'sausage-shaped'.
precoracoid: "A bone or cartilage in certain fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, situated anterior to and sometimes fused with the coracoid bone of the pectoral girdle", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in William K. Parker (1823–1890), comparative anatomist and zoologist. From pre- + coracoid.
columella: "An ossicle (small bone) of the middle ear of birds, reptiles, and amphibians", Late 16th century: from Latin, 'small column'.