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number of electrical apparatuses) connected in such a way that the same electricity passes through each part one after the other → compare in parallel (PARALLEL)
ser·if /'serɪf/ n a short line at the upper or lower end of the stroke of some sorts of printed letters → see also SANS SERIF
se·ri·o·com·ic /ˌsɪəriəʊˈkɒmɪk || -'kaɪ-/ adj fml both serious and funny: a seriocomic novel
se·ri·ous /'sɪəriəs/ adj 1 not easy to deal with; causing worry and needing attention; not slight: The storm caused serious damage. | The company is in serious financial difficulties. | There are serious objections to these proposals. | serious crime | a serious injury/situation 2 as if thinking deeply about important or worrying matters: You look very serious; is anything the matter? | a serious manner/expression 3 not joking or funny; (intended) to be considered as sincere: Do you think he's serious about leaving (=really intends to leave) his wife? | He's not a serious contender for the job. (=he is very unlikely to get it) | 'Management have decided to give us an extra day's holiday as a special bonus.' 'You can't be serious!' 4 of an important kind; needing or having great skill or thought: This subject has never been paid any serious attention. | a serious article (=intended to make one think rather than to amuse) | serious music | (fig, humor) We'll be doing some serious drinking (=we'll drink a lot of alcohol) over Christmas. —ness [U]
,serious 'crime ,squad n a British police department established in certain areas specifically to be responsible for serious crime
,Serious 'Fraud ,Office, the abbrev. the SFO a British government department, whose job is to examine complicated cases of FRAUD (=dishonest business practices) to find out whether businesses have cheated or made money in illegal ways. The SFO has the right to ask the police to charge people if it thinks they are guilty of fraud
se·ri·ous·ly /'sɪəriəsli/ adv 1 in a serious way: She was seriously injured in the accident. | He's so frivolous; he never takes anything seriously. (=treats anything as being serious) 2 infml (used at the beginning of a sentence to turn attention away from a joke or towards a serious statement or subject): Seriously though, you ought to take more care of your health.
,Serious ,Organised 'Crime ,Agency, the abbrev. SOCA a UK organization formed by joining together the National Crime Squad, the National Crime Intelligence Service, parts of Customs and Excise, and parts of the Inland Revenue. The purpose of the organization is to stop ORGANIZED CRIME such as CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, PEOPLE SMUGGLING, and the trade in illegal drugs. Although it has been compared to the FBI in the US, the organization is not intended to deal with TERRORISM or murder.
ser·jeant-at-arms, sergeant- /ˌsɑːdʒənt ət 'ɑːmz || ˌsɑːrdʒənt ət 'ɑːrmz/ n pl. serjeants-at-arms (in Britain) an officer of a law court, parliament etc, with the duty of keeping order during meetings
ser·mon /'sɜːmən || 'sɜːr-/ n [(on)] 1 a religious talk given as part of a Christian church service, usually based on a sentence from the Bible: The minister preached a sermon on the importance of brotherly love. 2 infml derog a long and solemn warning or piece of advice
ser·mon·ize also -ise BrE /'sɜːmənaɪz || 'sɜːr-/ v [I] derog to give moral advice, especially in too long and solemn a way
,Sermon on the 'Mount, the a sermon given by Jesus in which he explains his religious ideas. It is one of the best-known parts of the New Testament of the Bible, and it includes a set of statements called the BEATITUDES, in which Jesus names the types of people who are 'blessed' (=specially loved by God).
ser·o·to·nin /ˌserə'təʊnɪn/ n [U] tech a chemical in the body that helps carry messages from the brain and is believed to make you feel happy
ser·pent /'sɜːpənt || 'sɜːr-/ n 1 lit and bibl a snake, especially a large one. 2 especially bibl a wicked person who leads people to do wrong or harms those who are kind to him 3 usually cap. the DEVIL → see Cultural Note at SNAKE; and see also FALL
ser·pen·tine /'sɜːpəntaɪn || 'sɜːrpəntiːn/ adj lit twisting like a snake; following a course with many curves; winding: the serpentine course of the river
Serpentine, the a lake in HYDE PARK in London. It is a custom for some people to swim in it on Christmas Day.
SERPS /sɜːps || sɜːrps/ abbrev. for State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme; a British government system which pays a regular income to people who have stopped working because they are old, based on the amount that they earned while they were working
ser·rat·ed /sə'reɪtɪd, se-/ adj having (an edge with) a row of connected V-shapes like teeth: A knife for cutting bread has a serrated edge. | a serrated leaf —serration /sə'reɪʃən/ n [C;U]
ser·ried /'serid/ adj [A no comp.] lit pressed closely together; CROWDED: The serried ranks (=large numbers close together) of his supporters filled the square.
se·rum /'sɪərəm/ n pl. -rums or -ra /rə/ 1 [C;U] (a) liquid prepared from animal blood containing disease-fighting substances used for putting into a sick person's blood: anti-snakebite serum → compare VACCINE 2 [U] tech the watery part of an animal or plant liquid, especially blood
ser·vant /'sɜːvənt || 'sɜːr-/ n 1 a person who is paid to do personal services for someone, such as cleaning or cooking, especially in their house: In the last century many people used to employ servants. 2 [(of)] fml a person who serves someone, rather than controlling their activities: A politician should be a servant of the people. → see also CIVIL SERVANT
serve¹ /sɜːv || sɜːrv/ v 1 [I(in, on, under);T(as)] to do work (for); give service (to): He served in the army/on the committee. | to serve as a member of parliament | He has served the company for fifty years, first as office boy and eventually as managing director. | Membership is restricted to serving officers in the armed forces. | (fig.) If my memory serves (me) (=if I remember correctly), it happened on a Tuesday. 2 [T(with) often pass.] to provide with something necessary or useful: A single pipeline serves all the houses with water. | The outlying islands are served by a ferry which calls twice a week. 3 [I;T(UP, OUT)] to offer (food, drinks, a meal etc) for eating or drinking: Could you all come to the table – we're ready to serve. | What time is breakfast served in this hotel? | We're not allowed to serve alcohol in this club. | How can you dare to serve up such a terrible meal? | This dish serves six. (=there is enough of it for six people to eat) | [+obj(ii)+obj(d)] She served us tea and toast. | [+obj+to] She served tea and toast to us. | [+obj+with] She served us with tea and toast. | [+obj+adj] Make sure you serve the coffee hot. 4 [T usually pass.] (especially of a person employed in a shop) to attend to (a customer), e.g. by showing or especially selling goods to them: Are you being served? (=Is someone else already attending to you?) | They refused to serve him in the cocktail bar because he wasn't wearing a tie. 5 [T(as, for, in)] to pass and complete (a period of time): She served two years (in prison) for theft. | He has served his sentence/his time and should be freed. | Reagan served two terms as President. 6 [I(for, as);T] fml to be good enough or suitable for (a purpose): One room had to serve as/for both bedroom and living room. | I haven't got a hammer, but this stone should serve (my purpose). | This incident serves as a reminder of how dangerous these weapons really are. | [+to-v] This polythene sheet should serve to keep out the rain for a while. | Her remarks served only to worsen the situation. (=had the effect of making it worse) 7 [I;T] (in tennis, VOLLEYBALL etc) to begin play by hitting (the ball) to the opponent: It's your turn to serve. | to serve an ace 8 [T] law to deliver (an official order to appear in court): Has the summons been served yet? | [+obj+on] The bailiff served a summons on him. | [+obj+with] He served him with a summons. 9 serve someone right infml to be a suitable punishment for someone: After all you've eaten it serves you right if you feel ill.
serve sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T] to work until the end of (a period of time fixed for a duty, especially one already begun)
serve² n an act or manner of serving (SERVE), especially in tennis
serv·er /'sɜːvə || 'sɜːr-/ n 1 something used in serving food, especially a specially shaped tool for putting a particular