sere

¹ American  

[seer] / sɪər /

Or sear

adjective

1. dry; withered.

   Synonyms:

   wizened, desiccated, arid

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sere ² American  

[seer] / sɪər /

noun

1. the series of stages in an ecological succession.

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sere ¹ British  

/ sɪə /

noun

1. the series of changes occurring in the ecological succession of a particular community

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sere ² British  

/ sɪə /

adjective

1. archaic dried up or withered

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verb

1. a rare spelling of sear 1

sere Scientific  

/ sîr /

1. The entire sequence of ecological communities successively occupying an area from the initial stage to the climax community.

2. See more at succession

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Etymology

Origin of sere¹

before 900; Middle English seer ( e ), Old English sēar; see sear ¹

Origin of sere²

First recorded in 1915–20; back formation from series

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Explanation

You can describe something that is dried up, withered, or without moisture with the adjective sere. The desert climate, for example, is sere, as is your skin after a day in the wind. Sere’s shriveled and withered meaning crops up in things like Shakespeare's Macbeth ("My way of life Is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf;" 5:III), or in archaic references to Sere-month (August), but it isn't frequently used in modern conversation. The variant spelling of sere is sear, which has other meanings that see more modern use.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sere

Indeed, the opening image of “Bardo” suggests that Iñárritu has created “Birdman 2.0,” as a man, seen only as his shadow, repeatedly takes flight over a sere desert landscape.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 9, 2022

Thirst becomes the overarching metaphor for human desire in a sere landscape.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2022

The landscape is dry and sere, but a ribbon of green shrubs and trees flourishes along the creek.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2021

I fear the only people who ate the treats from that American airdrop were journalists scouring the sere landscape for shiny packets of cookies.

From New York Times ● Jan. 2, 2021

The margins of the spring’s small lively pool were frozen, and the sere moss among the rocks was traced with flowers of frost.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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