serif
Valid in Scrabble
- Scrabble points
- 8
- Words With Friends
- 8
- Letters
- 5
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Definition of serif
2 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included
noun
-
A short line added to the end of a stroke in traditional typefaces, such as Times New Roman.
“It is generally believed, by those who study such things, that serif typefaces are easier to read when reading a lot of words. The hickeys (serifs) on each letter tend to push our eye toward the next letter.”
See all 2 definitions Show less
noun
-
A short line added to the end of a stroke in traditional typefaces, such as Times New Roman.
“It is generally believed, by those who study such things, that serif typefaces are easier to read when reading a lot of words. The hickeys (serifs) on each letter tend to push our eye toward the next letter.”
adj
-
(not-comparable)Of a typeface, provided with serifs.
“It is generally believed, by those who study such things, that serif typefaces are easier to read when reading a lot of words. The hickeys (serifs) on each letter tend to push our eye toward the next letter.”
Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Etymology
From earlier ceriph, ceref, of obscure derivation. There are two (not directly interrelated) candidates for a possible Dutch origin: 1.) the noun schreef (“stroke”, now also “serif” as a semantic…
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From earlier ceriph, ceref, of obscure derivation. There are two (not directly interrelated) candidates for a possible Dutch origin: 1.) the noun schreef (“stroke”, now also “serif” as a semantic loan), related with schrapen (“to scrape”); and 2.) the verb schrafferen (“to provide with horizontal lines, to shade”), from Italian sgraffiare. For the latter, compare German Schraffe (“serif”), although this again may be a semantic loan based on the English word rather than original to it. Alternatively, from Late Latin cerificus (“waxen”), from Latin cera (“wax”), after the ruled lines used in writing on wax tablets.
Words you can make from serif
40 playable · top: FIRES (8 pts)
Best play fires 8 points5-letter words
3 words4-letter words
12 words3-letter words
16 words2-letter words
8 wordsHooks
1 extension · 1 back
A single letter you can add to serif to make another valid word.
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Find your best play with serif
See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes serif, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.