serrate

[ser-eyt, -it, ser-eyt, suh-reyt]

adjective

1. Chiefly Biology.,  notched on the edge like a saw.

   a serrate leaf.

2. Numismatics.,  (of a coin) having a grooved edge.

3. serrated.

verb (used with object)

serrated, serrating 

1. to make serrate or serrated.

   He serrated the knives so they would cut meat easily.

serrate

adjective

1. (of leaves) having a margin of forward pointing teeth

2. having a notched or sawlike edge

verb

1. (tr) to make serrate

Other Word Forms

• subserrate adjective
• unserrate adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of serrate¹

1590–1600; < Latin serrātus, equivalent to serr ( a ) saw + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of serrate¹

C17: from Latin serrātus saw-shaped, from serra a saw

Example Sentences

David McColl, from Glasgow, allegedly used sharply bladed and serrated instruments to attack Graham Wright, 38, at a property in the city's Gorbals area between 20 August and 13 September.

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In his and Ferrera’s sturdy presence and in the serrated frenzy of Greengrass’ editing style, a shorter, tighter “The Lost Bus” would still hold plenty of dread and dramatic resilience.

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Yet while “life happened,” as Simpson puts it, the serrated guitars and snotty-sweet vocals of her early music emerged as a key influence on younger artists making new connections between pop, rock and punk.

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The prosecutor suggested he had inflicted them himself with a serrated steak knife to bolster his story that Sardinha had attacked him.

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Theropod teeth are complex, and vary in size, shape, and in the anatomy of their serrated edges.

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