serif

ser·if

noun \ˈser-əf\

Definition of SERIF

: any of the short lines stemming from and at an angle to the upper and lower ends of the strokes of a letter

— ser·ifed or ser·iffed \-əft\ adjective

Illustration of SERIF

Origin of SERIF

probably from Dutch schreef stroke, line, from Middle Dutch, from schriven to write, from Latin scribere — more at scribe

First Known Use: 1841

Other Printing Terms

epigraph, errata, leader, mechanical, notch, tittle, underscore, widow

Rhymes with SERIF

seraph, sheriff, teraph