# serial

Pronunciation: say "SEER-ee-uhl" US /ˈsɪɹ.i.əl/, UK /ˈsɪə.ɹɪ.əl/

## Adjective

1. Repeatedly performing a particular action or following the same course of action.
   - Simple: Doing the same kind of action again and again.
   - _Investigators concluded they were dealing with a serial offender._
   - _She built a reputation as a serial entrepreneur, launching one venture after another._
3. Forming part of, or arranged in, a connected series of items or events.
   - Simple: Arranged one after another, as part of a connected series.
   - _The events unfolded in serial order, each one triggering the next._
   - _Engineers laid out the tests as a serial sequence so that no two ran together._
5. Issued or produced in successive installments rather than all at once.
   - Simple: Coming out in separate parts over time, not all at once.
   - _The Victorian novel first appeared in serial form across eighteen monthly installments._
   - _Many classic dramas reached audiences through serial broadcasts before home video existed._
9. Relating to a grammatical aspect that marks an action as habitual and ongoing.
   - Simple: Used for a verb form that shows an action that keeps happening or goes on over time.
   - _Linguists describe the serial aspect as combining habitual and continuous meaning._
   - _Some languages use a serial aspect where English relies on words like "always" or "usually."_

## Noun

2. A dramatic or literary work released in successive installments, often numbered and without a set ending.
   - Simple: A story on TV or radio that is told in many parts, with a new part each time.
   - _Each new serial drew millions of viewers eager to see how the plot would twist._
   - _The studio commissioned a serial that ran for six seasons without a planned finale._
4. An identification code, especially the alphanumeric key required to activate or register software. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A code you type in to unlock or turn on a program.
   - _The download wouldn't activate until she entered a valid serial._
   - _Pirated copies often circulate with cracked serials that bypass activation._
6. A publication that appears in a continuing series of parts, often numbered, with no end fixed in advance.
   - Simple: A magazine or paper that comes out in numbered parts again and again.
   - _The library cataloged each serial under its own subscription record._
   - _Academic journals are treated as serials because new issues keep appearing indefinitely._
8. A unit of police officers equipped with shields, deployed to control a riot. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A team of police officers with shields who are sent to control a riot.
   - _Commanders ordered a serial forward as the crowd surged against the barriers._
   - _Two serials held the line outside the stadium for hours._

## Verb

7. To assign a serial number to something, especially an aircraft.
   - Simple: To give something an official number so that it can be tracked.
   - _Inspectors serial each airframe so it can be tracked through its service life._
   - _Manufacturers serial their aircraft according to strict government rules._

## Origin

Formed from 'series' plus the suffix '-al', modeled on Latin 'seriālis' (from 'seriēs' + '-ālis') and cognate with Italian 'seriale'. It first appears around 1823.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/serial (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).