sere

or sear

[ seer ]

See synonyms for sere on Thesaurus.com

adjective

dry; withered.

Origin of sere

before 900; Middle English seer(e), Old English sēar;see sear¹

Other words for sere

arid, parched, desiccated, wizened

See synonyms for sere on Thesaurus.com

Words Nearby sere

Other definitions for sere (2 of 2)

sere²

[ seer ]

noun

the series of stages in an ecological succession.

Origin of sere

First recorded in 1915–20; back formation from series

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sere in a sentence

Each branch of the services established its own sere program, the Air Force at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built | Michael Daly | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Agency officials made first contact with the sere trainers during April 2002, not long after Abu Zubaydah was captured.
The CIA's Interrogation "Menu" | Robert Windrem | June 8, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
sere training techniques are legitimate tools for training our people.
A Senator Calls Out Cheney's Lies | Carl Levin | June 2, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
And while the Exchange rang with cheers, Stickney, a colour now in his sere cheeks, went boring his way outward.
The Lord of the Sea | M. P. Shiel
The sun burns sere and the rain dishevelsOne gaunt bleak blossom of scentless breath.
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886 | Ministry of Education

Early autumn finds this region dry and arid; its small streams dried up, the green fields sere, the weeds snapping like glass.
Ocean to Ocean on Horseback | Willard Glazier
I am eleven years nearer to the sere and yellow leaf, and my feelings are even more autumnal than my years.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. II (of 3) | George Eliot
All that's left is a labyrinth of weathered stone set into the sere cliff-face at Ocean Beach.
Little Brother | Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for sere (1 of 2)

sere¹

sear

/ (sɪə) /

adjective

archaic dried up or withered

verb, noun

a rare spelling of sear 1 (def. 1)

Origin of sere

Old English sēar; see sear 1

British Dictionary definitions for sere (2 of 2)

sere²

/ (sɪə) /

noun

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

Origin of sere

C20: from series

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for sere

sere

[ sîr ]

The entire sequence of ecological communities successively occupying an area from the initial stage to the climax community. See more at succession.

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