Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

serial

 - 4 dictionary results

se⋅ri⋅al

  [seer-ee-uhl]
Use serial in a Sentence
–noun
1. anything published, broadcast, etc., in short installments at regular intervals, as a novel appearing in successive issues of a magazine.
2. Library Science. a publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designation and intended to be continued indefinitely.
–adjective
3. published in installments or successive parts: a serial story.
4. pertaining to such publication.
5. of, pertaining to, consisting of, or occurring in a series rather than simultaneously: Some societies condemn both polygamy and serial marriages.
6. effecting or producing a series; sequential: The police think a serial killer is responsible for five homicides in this city last month.
7. Computers.
a. of or pertaining to the apparent or actual performance of data-processing operations one at a time (distinguished from parallel ).
b. of or pertaining to the transmission or processing of each part of a whole in sequence, as each bit of a byte or each byte of a computer word (distinguished from parallel ).
8. Music. of, pertaining to, or composed in serial technique.
Origin:
1835–45; < NL seriālis. See series, -al 1

Related forms:
se⋅ri⋅al⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To serial
se·ri·al   (sîr'ē-əl)   
adj.  

  1. Of, forming, or arranged in a series.

    1. Published or produced in installments, as a novel or television drama.

    2. Relating to such publication or production.

    3. Of or relating to the sequential transmission of all the bits of a byte over one wire: a serial port; a serial printer.

    4. Of or relating to the sequential performance of multiple operations: serial processing.

  3. Responsible for a series of usually criminal acts over a period of time: a serial arsonist.

  4. Music Relating to or based on a row of tones, especially the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale.

  5. Computer Science

    1. Of or relating to the sequential transmission of all the bits of a byte over one wire: a serial port; a serial printer.

    2. Of or relating to the sequential performance of multiple operations: serial processing.

n.  A literary or dramatic work published or produced in installments.
se'ri·al·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

serial  (adj.)
1840, from series (q.v.), popularized in ref. to Dickens' novels, published one part at a time (as opposed to all at once, in a book). Found to be a useful word and given wide application. The noun is attested from 1846. Serial number first recorded 1935. Serial killer is first attested 1981 (in relation to John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy), though serial had been used in connection with murders since the early 1960s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Computing Dictionary

serial
1. serial communications
2. serial processor.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Search another word or see serial on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way