serif

ser·if Audio Help (sěr'ĭf)

n. A fine line finishing off the main strokes of a letter, as at the top and bottom of M.

[Perhaps from Dutch schreef, line, from Middle Dutch scrēve, from scriven, to write, from Latin scrībere; see skrībh- in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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