serial

[ seer-ee-uhl ]

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

1. published in installments or successive parts:

   a serial story.

2. pertaining to such publication.
3. pertaining to, arranged in, or consisting of a series.
4. occurring in a series rather than simultaneously:

   serial marriage; serial murders.

5. effecting or producing a series of similar actions:

   The police think a serial killer is responsible for five homicides in this city last month.

6. Computers.
   1. of or relating to the apparent or actual performance of data-processing operations one at a time ( parallel ).
   2. of or relating 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 ( parallel ).
7. Music. of, relating to, or composed in serial technique.

serial

/ ˈsɪərɪəl /

noun

1. a novel, play, etc, presented in separate instalments at regular intervals
2. a publication, usually regularly issued and consecutively numbered

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a series
2. published or presented as a serial
3. of or relating to such publication or presentation
4. computing of or operating on items of information, instructions, etc, in the order in which they occur Compare parallel
5. of, relating to, or using the techniques of serialism
6. logic maths (of a relation) connected, transitive, and asymmetric, thereby imposing an order on all the members of the domain, as less than on the natural numbers See also ordering

Derived Forms

• ˈserially, adverb

Other Words From

• seri·al·ly adverb
• non·seri·al noun adjective
• non·seri·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of serial¹

From the New Latin word seriālis, dating back to 1835–45. See series, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of serial¹

C19: from New Latin seriālis, from Latin seriēs series

Example Sentences

The Los Angeles Police Department recently arrested two suspects in connection with a serial “kidnap for robbery” scheme and are searching for additional victims.

From Los Angeles Times

This spring, as his trial neared, they denounced him as “a serial tax cheat who has built his staffing empire around the chronic failure of his companies to pay applicable federal payroll taxes.”

From New York Times

So why did "the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England", as the report described Smyth, avoid prosecution?

From BBC

Foot-long metal rods with serial numbers were shot into the muscles of whales.

From Science Daily

In articles published in Forbes magazine, Morgan also claimed to be a successful technology businesswoman, calling herself an "economist, serial entrepreneur, software investor and rapper".

From BBC

Related Words

• sequential