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.

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serif British  

/ ˈsɛrɪf /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of serif

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

serif

For decades the firm formerly known as Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer used a logo combining a religious icon of the Archangel Michael and its name in elegant serif.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

They’re swapping out traditional serif fonts and faceless boardroom photography for colorful palettes and smiling, approachable partner portraiture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

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 ● Mar. 31, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2025

All of this appeared in Centurion bold type—already antiquated in 1917—with delicate hairlines separating seven columns and subheads in bold serif relief.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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