sere

sere · adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₂sews-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*sauzaz“dry, parched”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*sauʀ(ī)
4. Old English · inherited fromsēar
5. Middle English · inherited fromser
6. English todaysere

From Middle English ser, sere, seare, seer, seere, seir, seyr (“dry, withered; emaciated, shrivelled; brittle; bare; dead, lifeless; barren, useless”), from Old English sēar, sīere (“dry, withered; barren; sere”), from Proto-West Germanic *sauʀ(ī), from Proto-Germanic *sauzaz (“dry, parched”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂sews-, *sh₂ews- (“to be dry”). Cognate with Dutch zoor (“dry and coarse”), Greek αὖος (ávos, “dry”), Lithuanian sausas (“dry”), Middle Low German sôr (Low German soor (“arid, dry”)), Old Church Slavonic соухъ (suχŭ, “dry”). Doublet of sear and sare.

sere · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ser-“to bind, tie together; to thread”
2. Latin · derived fromserere
3. English todaysere

From Latin serere, present active infinitive of serō (“to entwine, interlace, link together; to join in a series, string together”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind, tie together; to thread”).

sere · noun³

1. Late Latin · derived fromserāre
2. Vulgar Latin · derived fromserrāre“to close, shut”
3. Old French · derived fromserre
4. English todaysere

From Old French serre (modern French serre (“talon”)), from serrer (“to grip tightly; to shut”) (modern French serrer (“to squeeze; to tighten”)), from Vulgar Latin serrāre (“to close, shut”), from Late Latin serāre, present active infinitive of serō (“to fasten with a bolt; to bar, bolt”), from sera (“bar for fastening doors”), from serō (“to bind or join together; entwine, interlace, interweave, plait”); see further at etymology 2.

sere · adjective⁴

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*swé“self”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*sek“oneself”
3. Old Norse · derived fromsér“for oneself; separately”
4. Middle English · inherited fromser
5. English todaysere

From Middle English ser, sere, schere, seer, seere, seir, seyr, seyre (“different; diverse, various; distinct, individual; parted, separated; many, several”), from Old Norse sér (“for oneself; separately”, dative reflexive pronoun, literally “to oneself”), from sik (“oneself, myself, yourself, herself, himself; ourselves, yourselves, themselves”), from Proto-Germanic *sek (“oneself”), from Proto-Indo-European *swé (“self”). The English word is cognate with Danish sær (“singular”), især (“especially, particularly”), German sich (“oneself; herself, himself, itself; themselves”), Icelandic sig (“oneself; herself, himself, itself; themselves”), Latin sē (“herself, himself, itself; themselves”), Scots seir, Swedish sär (“particularly”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from early 20th c. A natural succession community of organisms in an ecosystem, especially a series of communities succeeding one another from a time when habitat is unoccupied or disturbed to the time when a climax community is achieved.