series

[ seer-eez ]

noun

, plural se·ries.

1. a group or a number of related or similar things, events, etc., arranged or occurring in temporal, spatial, or other order or succession; sequence.
2. a number of games, contests, or sporting events, with the same participants, considered as a unit:

   The two baseball clubs played a five-game series.

3. a set, as of coins or stamps.
4. a set of successive volumes or issues of a periodical published in like form with similarity of subject or purpose.
5. Radio and Television.
   1. a daily or weekly program with the same cast and format and a continuing story, as a soap opera, situation comedy, or drama.
   2. a number of related programs having the same theme, cast, or format:

      a series of four programs on African wildlife.

6. Mathematics.
   1. a sequence of terms combined by addition, as 1 + ½ + ¼ + ⅛ + … ½ n.
   2. infinite series.
7. Rhetoric. a succession of coordinate sentence elements.
8. Geology. a division of stratified rocks that is of next higher rank to a stage and next lower rank to a system, comprising deposits formed during part of a geological epoch.
9. Electricity. an end-to-end arrangement of the components, as resistors, in a circuit so that the same current flows through each component. Compare parallel ( def 14 ).
10. Chemistry. a group of related chemical elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number:

    the lanthanide series.

adjective

1. Electricity. consisting of or having component parts connected in series:

   a series circuit; a series generator.

series

/ ˈsɪəriːz; -rɪz /

noun

1. a group or connected succession of similar or related things, usually arranged in order
2. a set of radio or television programmes having the same characters and setting but different stories
3. a set of books having the same format, related content, etc, published by one firm
4. a set of stamps, coins, etc, issued at a particular time
5. maths the sum of a finite or infinite sequence of numbers or quantities See also geometric series
6. electronics
   1. a configuration of two or more components connected in a circuit so that the same current flows in turn through each of them (esp in the phrase in series )
   2. ( as modifier ) Compare parallel

      a series circuit

7. rhetoric a succession of coordinate elements in a sentence
8. geology a stratigraphical unit that is a subdivision of a system and represents the rocks formed during an epoch

series

/ sîr′ēz /

1. The sum of a sequence of terms, for example 2 + 2 ² + 2 ³ + 2 ⁴ + 2 ⁵ + …
2. A group of rock formations closely related in time of origin and distinct as a group from other formations.

Other Words From

• multi·series noun plural multiseries
• sub·series noun plural subseries
• super·series noun plural superseries

Word History and Origins

Origin of series¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin seriēs; akin to serere “to connect”

Word History and Origins

Origin of series¹

C17: from Latin: a row, from serere to link

Synonym Study

Series, sequence, succession are terms for an orderly following of things one after another. Series is applied to a number of things of the same kind, usually related to each other, arranged or happening in order: a series of baseball games. Sequence stresses the continuity in time, thought, cause and effect, etc.: The scenes came in a definite sequence. Succession implies that one thing is followed by another or others in turn, usually though not necessarily with a relation or connection between them: succession to a throne; a succession of calamities.

Example Sentences

The latest in Trump’s series of controversial nominations is surprising but not entirely unexpected.

From Salon

After the actor shared his diagnosis with the world, Stamos took to Instagram to show his longtime co-star some love and appreciation in a series of photos and videos.

From Salon

Now consisting of Armstrong, rapper-producer Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, DJ Joe Hahn, bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell and new drummer Colin Brittain, Linkin Park kicked off a series of concerts in the fall, launching its new lineup with a Sept. 11 show at Inglewood’s Kia Forum before embarking on a mini-world tour.

From Los Angeles Times

The fight to find her remains provides the series’ most moving moments, but it’s Dolours who is its dramatic key.

From Los Angeles Times

Jailed in England in 1973, after their part in a series of London car bombings, the sisters go on a hunger strike — they want to be moved to a women’s prison in Ireland — and are force-fed, a process shown with disturbing exactitude.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• array
• course
• list
• run
• sequence
• set
• streak
• string