sere

1

or sear

[ seer ]
See synonyms for sere on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. dry; withered.

Origin of sere

1
before 900; Middle English seer(e), Old English sēar;see sear1

Other words for sere

Words Nearby sere

Other definitions for sere (2 of 2)

sere2
[ seer ]

noun
  1. the series of stages in an ecological succession.

Origin of sere

2
First recorded in 1915–20; back formation from series

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sere in a sentence

  • Early autumn finds this region dry and arid; its small streams dried up, the green fields sere, the weeds snapping like glass.

    Ocean to Ocean on Horseback | Willard Glazier
  • I am eleven years nearer to the sere and yellow leaf, and my feelings are even more autumnal than my years.

  • All that's left is a labyrinth of weathered stone set into the sere cliff-face at Ocean Beach.

    Little Brother | Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for sere (1 of 2)

sere1

sear

/ (sɪə) /


adjective
  1. archaic dried up or withered

verb, noun
  1. a rare spelling of sear 1 (def. 1)

Origin of sere

1
Old English sēar; see sear 1

British Dictionary definitions for sere (2 of 2)

sere2

/ (sɪə) /


noun
  1. the series of changes occurring in the ecological succession of a particular community

Origin of sere

2
C20: from series

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

Scientific definitions for sere

sere

[ sîr ]


  1. The entire sequence of ecological communities successively occupying an area from the initial stage to the climax community. See more at succession.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.