serial

[ seer-ee-uhl ]

noun

1. anything published, broadcast, etc., in short installments at regular intervals, as a novel appearing in successive issues of a magazine.
2. Library Science. a publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designation and intended to be continued indefinitely.

adjective

1. published in installments or successive parts:

   a serial story.

2. pertaining to such publication.
3. pertaining to, arranged in, or consisting of a series.
4. occurring in a series rather than simultaneously:

   serial marriage; serial murders.

5. effecting or producing a series of similar actions:

   The police think a serial killer is responsible for five homicides in this city last month.

6. Computers.
   1. of or relating to the apparent or actual performance of data-processing operations one at a time ( parallel ).
   2. of or relating to the transmission or processing of each part of a whole in sequence, as each bit of a byte or each byte of a computer word ( parallel ).
7. Music. of, relating to, or composed in serial technique.

serial

/ ˈsɪərɪəl /

noun

1. a novel, play, etc, presented in separate instalments at regular intervals
2. a publication, usually regularly issued and consecutively numbered

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a series
2. published or presented as a serial
3. of or relating to such publication or presentation
4. computing of or operating on items of information, instructions, etc, in the order in which they occur Compare parallel
5. of, relating to, or using the techniques of serialism
6. logic maths (of a relation) connected, transitive, and asymmetric, thereby imposing an order on all the members of the domain, as less than on the natural numbers See also ordering

Derived Forms

• ˈserially, adverb

Other Words From

• seri·al·ly adverb
• non·seri·al noun adjective
• non·seri·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of serial¹

From the New Latin word seriālis, dating back to 1835–45. See series, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of serial¹

C19: from New Latin seriālis, from Latin seriēs series

Example Sentences

But when a serial sex predator is playing fanboy, the gag reflex kicks in.

From The Daily Beast

Hell, he says Koenig never referred to it as Serial or even as a podcast.

From The Daily Beast

In all fairness to Jay, he told The Intercept that he never expected to be a major figure in Serial.

From The Daily Beast

Interviews in Serial (including ones from Adnan) do acknowledge that Jay was known as a resident bad boy at Woodlawn High School.

From The Daily Beast

But for me, this admittance of uncertainty and doubts grounds Serial in reality.

From The Daily Beast

Yet it was perfect as regards the paper and printing—even to its black serial number.

From Project Gutenberg

The magazine might pay as much as five hundred dollars for the serial rights—and with that start, they would surely be safe.

From Project Gutenberg

On the other hand, you can prepare to dispose of the serial rights of the Schooner Farallone: a most grim and gloomy tale.

From Project Gutenberg

Whereupon Brodrick inquired with positively formidable politeness, how the new serial was getting on.

From Project Gutenberg

This may be styled a serial arrangement of sentences, since in such a case each contributes to the topic only as one in a chain.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sequential