serif
[ ser-if ]
/ ˈsɛr ɪf /
Save This Word!
noun Printing.
a smaller line used to finish off a main stroke of a letter, as at the top and bottom of M.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Also especially British, cer·iph .
Origin of serif
1835–45; perhaps <Dutch schreef line (in writing), akin to schrijven to write
Words nearby serif
series, series circuit, series comma, series resonance, series-wound, serif, serigraph, serin, serine, seringa, Seringapatam
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for serif
British Dictionary definitions for serif
serif
rarely seriph
/ (ˈsɛrɪf) /
noun
printing a small line at the extremities of a main stroke in a type character
Word Origin for serif
C19: perhaps from Dutch schreef dash, probably of Germanic origin, compare Old High German screvōn to engrave
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