serif

American  

[ser-if] / ˈsɛr ɪf /

especially British, ceriph

noun

Printing.

1. a smaller line used to finish off a main stroke of a letter, as at the top and bottom of M.

---

serif British  

/ ˈsɛrɪf /

noun

1. printing a small line at the extremities of a main stroke in a type character

---

Etymology

Origin of serif

1835–45; perhaps < Dutch schreef line (in writing), akin to schrijven to write

Example Sentences

Around 2018 when a raft of fashion houses joined everyone else in ditching their serif logos for wingless alternatives, something flipped.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its name is a pun on the sans serif group of typefaces, and the island was depicted as being shaped like a semi-colon.

From BBC

Frosted windows on doors with the old-school gold sans serif font long used by county departments.

From Los Angeles Times

This time she wrote her messages in a childlike sans serif that a designer friend of the artist later turned into a custom font, for more efficient printing.

From Los Angeles Times

With its straight hairline serifs and high degree of contrast between thick and thin strokes, Bodoni has an elegant literary appearance.

From New York Times