Sere Sere noun [ French serre .] Claw; talon. [ Obsolete] Chapman.

Serein Se·rein" noun [ French Confer Serenade , noun ] (Meteorol.) A mist, or very fine rain, which sometimes falls from a clear sky a few moments after sunset. Tyndall.

Serenade Ser`e·nade" noun [ French sérénade , Italian serenata , probably from Latin serenus serene (cf. Serene ), misunderstood as a derivative from Latin serus late. Confer Soirée .] (Mus.) (a) Music sung or performed in the open air at nights; -- usually applied to musical entertainments given in the open air at night, especially by gentlemen, in a spirit of gallantry, under the windows of ladies. (b) A piece of music suitable to be performed at such times.

Serenade Ser`e·nade" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Serenaded ; present participle & verbal noun Serenading .] To entertain with a serenade.

Serenade Ser`e·nade" intransitive verb To perform a serenade.

Serenader Ser`e·nad"er noun One who serenades.

Serenata, Serenate Ser`e·na"ta, Ser"e·nate noun [ Italian serenata . See Serenade .] (Mus.) A piece of vocal music, especially one on an amoreus subject; a serenade.

Or serenate , which the starved lover sings
To his pround fair.

Milton. » The name serenata was given by Italian composers in the time of Handel, and by Handel himself, to a cantata of a pastoreal of dramatic character, to a secular ode, etc.; also by Mozart and others to an orchectral composition, in several movements, midway between the suite of an earlier period and the modern symphony. Grove.

Serene Se·rene" adjective [ Latin serenus to grow dry, Greek ......... hot, scorching.] 1. Bright; clear; unabscured; as, a serene sky.

The moon serene in glory mounts the sky.

Pope.

Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear.

Gray. 2. Calm; placid; undisturbed; unruffled; as, a serene aspect; a serene soul. Milton. » In several countries of Europe, Serene is given as a tittle to princes and the members of their families; as, His Serene Highness. Drop serene . (Medicine) See Amaurosis . Milton.

Serene Se·rene" noun 1. Serenity; clearness; calmness. [ Poetic.] "The serene of heaven." Southey.

To their master is denied
To share their sweet serene .

Young. 2. [ French serein evening dew or damp. See Serein .] Evening air; night chill. [ Obsolete] "Some serene blast me." B. Jonson.

Serene Se·rene" transitive verb [ Latin serenare .] To make serene.

Heaven and earth, as if contending, vie
To raise his being, and serene his soul.

Thomson.

Serenely Se·rene"ly adverb 1. In a serene manner; clearly.

Now setting Phœbus shone serenely bright.

Pope. 2. With unruffled temper; coolly; calmly. Prior.

Sereneness Se·rene"ness noun Serenity. Feltham.

Serenitude Se·ren"i·tude noun Serenity. [ Obsolete]

Serenity Se·ren"i·ty noun [ Latin serenuas : confer French sérénité .] 1. The quality or state of being serene; clearness and calmness; quietness; stillness; peace.

A general peace and serenity newly succeeded a general trouble.

Sir W. Temple. 2. Calmness of mind; eveness of temper; undisturbed state; coolness; composure.

I can not see how any men should ever transgress those moral rules with confidence and serenity .

Locke. » Serenity is given as a title to the members of certain princely families in Europe; as, Your Serenity .

Serf Serf noun [ French, from Latin serus servant, slave; akin to servare to protect, preserve, observe, and perhaps originally, a client, a man under one's protection. Confer Serve , transitive verb ] A servant or slave employed in husbandry, and in some countries attached to the soil and transferred with it, as formerly in Russia.

In England, at least from the reign of Henry II, one only, and that the inferior species [ of villeins], existed . . . But by the customs of France and Germany, persons in this abject state seem to have been called serfs , and distinguished from villeins , who were only bound to fixed payments and duties in respect of their lord, though, as it seems, without any legal redress if injured by him.

Hallam. Syn. -- Serf , Slave . A slave is the absolute property of his master, and may be sold in any way. A serf , according to the strict sense of the term, is one bound to work on a certain estate, and thus attached to the soil, and sold with it into the service of whoever purchases the land.

Serfage, Serfdom Serf"age, Serf"dom noun The state or condition of a serf.

Serfhood, Serfism Serf"hood, Serf"ism noun Serfage.

Serge Serge noun [ French serge , sarge , originally , a silken stuff , from Latin serica , f. or neut. plural of sericus silken. See Sericeous , Silk .] A woolen twilled stuff, much used as material for clothing for both sexes. Silk serge , a twilled silk fabric used mostly by tailors for lining parts of gentlemen's coats.

Serge Serge noun [ French cierge .] A large wax candle used in the ceremonies of various churches.

Sergeancy Ser"gean·cy noun ; plural Sergeancies . [ Confer Sergeanty .] The office of a sergeant; sergeantship. [ Written also serjeancy .]

Sergeant Ser"geant noun [ French sergent , from Latin serviens , -entis , present participle of servire to serve. See Serve , and confer Servant .] [ Written also serjeant . Both spellings are authorized. In England serjeant is usually preferred, except for military officers. In the United States sergeant is common for civil officers also.] 1. Formerly, in England, an officer nearly answering to the more modern bailiff of the hundred; also, an officer whose duty was to attend on the king, and on the lord high steward in court, to arrest traitors and other offenders. He is now called sergeant-at-arms , and two of these officers, by allowance of the sovereign, attend on the houses of Parliament (one for each house) to execute their commands, and another attends the Court Chancery.

The sergeant of the town of Rome them sought.

Chaucer.

The magistrates sent the serjeant , saying, Let those men go.

Acts xvi. 35.

This fell sergeant , Death,
Is strict in his arrest.

Shak. 2. (Mil.) In a company, battery, or troop, a noncommissioned officer next in rank above a corporal, whose duty is to instruct recruits in discipline, to form the ranks, etc. » In the United States service, besides the sergeants belonging to the companies there are, in each regiment, a sergeant major , who is the chief noncommissioned officer, and has important duties as the assistant to the adjutant; a quartermaster sergeant , who assists the quartermaster; a color sergeant , who carries the colors; and a commissary sergeant , who assists in the care and distribution of the stores. Ordnance sergeants have charge of the ammunition at military posts. 3. (Law) A lawyer of the highest rank, answering to the doctor of the civil law; -- called also serjeant at law . [ Eng.] Blackstone. 4. A title sometimes given to the servants of the sovereign; as, sergeant surgeon, that is, a servant, or attendant, surgeon. [ Eng.] 5. (Zoology) The cobia. Drill sergeant . (Mil.) See under Drill . -- Sergeant-at-arms , an officer of a legislative body, or of a deliberative or judicial assembly, who executes commands in preserving order and arresting offenders. See Sergeant , 1. -- Sergeant major . (a) (Mil.) See the Note under def. 2, above. (b) (Zoology) The cow pilot.

Sergeantcy Ser"geant·cy noun Same as Sergeancy .

Sergeantry Ser"geant·ry noun [ CF. Old French sergenteric .] See Sergeanty . [ R.] [ Written also serjeantry .]

Sergeantship Ser"geant·ship noun The office of sergeant.

Sergeanty Ser"geant·y noun [ Confer Old French sergentie , Late Latin sergentia . See Sergeant .] (Eng. Law) Tenure of lands of the crown by an honorary kind of service not due to any lord, but to the king only. [ Written also serjeanty .] Grand sergeanty , a particular kind of tenure by which the tenant was bound to do some special honorary service to the king in person, as to carry his banner, his sword, or the like. Tomlins. Cowell. Blackstone. -- Petit sergeanty . See under Petit .

Serial Se"ri·al adjective 1. Of or pertaining to a series; consisting of a series; appearing in successive parts or numbers; as, a serial work or publication. "Classification . . . may be more or less serial ." H. Spencer. 2. (Botany) Of or pertaining to rows. Gray. Serial homology . (Biol.) See under Homology . -- Serial symmetry . (Biol.) See under Symmetry .

Serial Se"ri·al noun A publication appearing in a series or succession of part; a tale, or other writing, published in successive numbers of a periodical.

Seriality Se`ri·al"i·ty noun The quality or state of succession in a series; sequence. H. Spenser.

Serially Se"ri·al·ly adverb In a series, or regular order; in a serial manner; as, arranged serially ; published serially .

Seriate Se"ri·ate adjective Arranged in a series or succession; pertaining to a series. -- Se"ri*ate*ly , adverb

Seriatim Se`ri·a"tim adverb [ New Latin ] In regular order; one after the other; severally.

Seriation Se`ri·a"tion noun (Chemistry) Arrangement or position in a series.

Sericeous Se·ri"ceous adjective [ Latin sericus silken, sericum Seric stuff, silk, from Sericus belonging to the Seres , Greek ........., a people of Eastern Asia, the modern Chinese, celebrated for their silken fabrics. Confer Silk , Serge a woolen stuff.] 1. Of or pertaining to silk; consisting of silk; silky. 2. (Botany) Covered with very soft hairs pressed close to the surface; as, a sericeous leaf. 3. (Zoology) Having a silklike luster, usually due to fine, close hairs.

Sericin Ser"i·cin noun [ Latin sericus silken.] (Chemistry) A gelatinous nitrogenous material extracted from crude silk and other similar fiber by boiling water; -- called also silk gelatin .

Sericite Ser"i·cite noun [ Latin sericus silken.] (Min.) A kind of muscovite occuring in silky scales having a fibrous structure. It is characteristic of sericite schist.

Sericterium Ser`ic·te"ri·um noun [ See Sericeous .] (Zoology) A silk gland, as in the silkworms.

Sericulture Ser"i·cul`ture noun [ See Sericeous , and Culture .] The raising of silkworms.

Serie Se"rie noun [ Confer French série .] Series. [ Obsolete]

Seriema Ser`i·e"ma noun [ Native name.] (Zoology) A large South American bird ( Dicholophus, or Cariama cristata ) related to the cranes. It is often domesticated. Called also cariama .

Series Se"ries noun [ Latin series , from serere , sertum , to join or bind together; confer Greek ......... to fasten, Sanskrit sarit thread. Confer Assert , Desert a solitude, Exert , Insert , Seraglio .] 1. A number of things or events standing or succeeding in order, and connected by a like relation; sequence; order; course; a succession of things; as, a continuous series of calamitous events.

During some years his life a series of triumphs.

Macaulay. 2. (Biol.) Any comprehensive group of animals or plants including several subordinate related groups. » Sometimes a series includes several classes; sometimes only orders or families; in other cases only species. 3. (Math.) An indefinite number of terms succeeding one another, each of which is derived from one or more of the preceding by a fixed law, called the law of the series; as, an arithmetical series ; a geometrical series .

Series Se"ries noun 1. (Botany) In Engler's system of plant classification, a group of families showing certain structural or morphological relationships. It corresponds to the cohort of some writers, and to the order of many modern systematists. 2. (Electricity) A mode of arranging the separate parts of a circuit by connecting them successively end to end to form a single path for the current; -- opposed to parallel . The parts so arranged are said to be in series . 3. (Com.) A parcel of rough diamonds of assorted qualities.

Series dynamo Series dynamo (Electricity) (a) A series-wound dynamo. (b) A dynamo running in series with another or others.

Series motor Series motor (Electricity) (a) A series-wound motor. (b) A motor capable of being used in a series circuit.

Series turns Series turns (Electricity) The turns in a series circuit.

Series winding Series winding (Electricity) A winding in which the armature coil and the field-magnet coil are in series with the external circuits; -- opposed to shunt winding . -- Se"ries-wound` , adjective

Serigraph Ser`i·graph noun [ Latin sericum silk + English -graph .] An autographic device to test the strength of raw silk.

Serin Ser"in noun [ French serin .] (Zoology) A European finch ( Serinus hortulanus ) closely related to the canary.

Serine Ser"ine noun [ Latin sericus silken.] (Chemistry) A white crystalline nitrogenous substance obtained by the action of dilute sulphuric acid on silk gelatin.

Serio-comic, Serio-comical Se`ri·o-com"ic, Se`ri·o-com"ic·al adjective Having a mixture of seriousness and sport; serious and comical.

Serious Se"ri·ous adjective [ Latin serius : confer French sérieux , Late Latin seriosus .] 1. Grave in manner or disposition; earnest; thoughtful; solemn; not light, gay, or volatile.

He is always serious , yet there is about his manner a graceful ease.

Macaulay. 2. Really intending what is said; being in earnest; not jesting or deceiving. Beaconsfield. 3. Important; weighty; not trifling; grave.

The holy Scriptures bring to our ears the most serious things in the world.

Young. 4. Hence, giving rise to apprehension; attended with danger; as, a serious injury. Syn. -- Grave; solemn; earnest; sedate; important; weighty. See Grave . -- Se"ri*ous*ly , adverb -- Se"ri*ous*ness , noun