Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A number of objects or events arranged or coming one after the other in succession.
  • noun A set of stamps, coins, or currency issued in a particular period.
  • noun Physics & Chemistry A group of objects related by linearly varying successive differences in form or configuration.
  • noun Mathematics The sum of a sequentially ordered finite or infinite set of terms.
  • noun Geology A group of rock formations closely related in time of origin and distinct as a group from other formations.
  • noun Grammar A succession of coordinate elements in a sentence.
  • noun A succession of publications having similar subjects or similar formats.
  • noun A succession of regularly broadcast television programs, especially the set of episodes of a drama or sitcom.
  • noun Sports A number of games played by the same two teams, often in succession.
  • noun Baseball The World Series.
  • noun Linguistics A set of vowels or diphthongs related by ablaut, as in sing, sang, sung, and song.
  • idiom (in series) In an arrangement that forms a series.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In mathematics: A sequence of things such that the situation (before or after) of each can be told with respect to any other; a set.
  • noun In electricity, an arrangement of units of a group of cells, generators, or other electrical devices (such as condensers, resistance-coils, lamps, or the like), such that the positive terminal of the first is connected to the negative terminal of the second and so on. See series-connected.
  • noun A series not absolutely convergent.
  • noun In electricity See series-parallel circuit.
  • noun Same as absolutely convergent series.
  • noun A continued succession of similar things, or of things bearing a similar relation to one another; an extended order, line, or course; sequence; succession: as, a series of kings; a series of calamitous events; definitions arranged in several distinct series.
  • noun In geology, a set of strata possessing some common mineral or fossil characteristic: as, the greensand series; the Wenlock series.
  • noun In chem., a number of elements or compounds which have certain common properties and relations, or which exhibit, when arranged in orderly succession, a constant difference from member to member.
  • noun In numismatics, a set of coins made at any one place or time, or issued by any one sovereign or government.
  • noun In philately, a set of similar postage- or revenue-stamps.
  • noun In mathematics, a progression; also, more usually, an algebraic expression appearing as a sum of a succession of terms subject to a regular law.
  • noun In systematic bot., according to Gray, the first group below kingdom and the next above class: equivalent to subkingdom or division (which see).
  • noun In zoology, a number of genera in a family, of families in an order, etc.; a section or division of a taxonomic group, containing two or more groups of a lower grade: loosely and variably used, like grade, group, cohort, phalanx, etc.
  • noun In ancient prosody, same as colon , 2.
  • noun In bibliography, a set of volumes, as of periodical publications or transactions of societies, separately numbered from another set of the same publication. Abbreviated ser.
  • noun where φ(μ) is defined by the equation
  • noun is equal to for values of φ between −π and +π; but for values between π and 2π, it is equal to ½(πφ).
  • noun That the n th differential coefficient relatively to x should be equal to 2n! is the necessary and sufficient condition of n being prime.
  • noun A series which is convergent although if the signs of all the terms were the same (or their arguments considered as imaginaries were the same) it would be divergent.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A number of things or events standing or succeeding in order, and connected by a like relation; sequence; order; course; a succession of things.
  • noun (Biol.) Any comprehensive group of animals or plants including several subordinate related groups.
  • noun (Bot.) In Engler's system of plant classification, a group of families showing certain structural or morphological relationships. It corresponds to the cohort of some writers, and to the order of many modern systematists.
  • noun (Math.) An indefinite number of terms succeeding one another, each of which is derived from one or more of the preceding by a fixed law, called the law of the series.
  • noun (Elec.) A mode of arranging the separate parts of a circuit by connecting them successively end to end to form a single path for the current; -- opposed to parallel. The parts so arranged are said to be in series.
  • noun (Com.) A parcel of rough diamonds of assorted qualities.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A number of things that follow on one after the other or are connected one after the other.
  • noun US, Canada A television or radio program which consists of several episodes that are broadcast in regular intervals
  • noun UK A group of episodes of a television or radio program broadcast in regular intervals with a long break between each group, usually with one year between the beginning of each.
  • noun mathematics The sum of the terms of a sequence.
  • noun cricket, baseball A group of matches between two sides, with the aim being to win more matches than the opposition.
  • noun biology An unranked taxon.
  • adjective electronics Connected one after the other in a circuit.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a periodical that appears at scheduled times
  • noun a serialized set of programs
  • noun (electronics) connection of components in such a manner that current flows first through one and then through the other
  • noun similar things placed in order or happening one after another

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin seriēs, from serere, to join; see ser- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin series, from serere ("to join together, bind").

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Examples

  • One of the most important of these series is the _fatty-acid series_, the name having been given to it because the derivatives of certain of its members are constituents of the fats.

    An Elementary Study of Chemistry William McPherson

  • $series = $ this - > _series; reset ($series); while (list ($key, $serie) = each ($series)) if

    EDN Feed 2008

  • LeBron James scored 24 points for his first win in five finals-game appearances, Dwyane Wade added 22 points and 10 rebounds and the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1 of the title series Tuesday night.

    NBA Finals 2011 Game 1: Heat Beat Mavericks 92-84 The Huffington Post News Editors 2011

  • LeBron James scored 24 points for his first win in five finals-game appearances, Dwyane Wade added 22 points and 10 rebounds and the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1 of the title series Tuesday night.

    NBA Finals 2011 Game 1: Heat Beat Mavericks 92-84 The Huffington Post News Editors 2011

  • But his Prydain series is overwhelmingly emotional and action filled with the main character starting as a young orphaned boy yearning to be a hero, to me it just screams movie material.

    Ten Fantasy Books That Should Be Movies | Solar Flare: Science Fiction News 2008

  • Have you read the “Outlander” series by Diana Gabaldon (first book in series is actually titled Outlander)?

    Spring Has Sprung | Her Bad Mother 2007

  • Sorry to hear that that George R.R. Martin series is bogging down.

    The Hugo Awards Revisited « Hyperpat’s HyperDay 2006

  • Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series is another that should be read in order.

    Reading Order vs. Publication Order 2005

  • James scored 24 points for his first win in five NBA finals games, Wade scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half and the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1 of the title series on Tuesday night - holding the Western Conference champions to their lowest point total of the playoffs after a dominant defensive showing down the stretch.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • James scored 24 points for his first win in five finals-game appearances, Wade added 22 points and 10 rebounds and the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks 92-84 in Game 1 of the title series on Tuesday night.

    Breaking News: CBS News 2011

Comments

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  • Plural same as singular? Any thoughts?

    December 1, 2009

  • According to my grammaticality judgement, both "The series were on for years before being cancelled" and "The series was on for years before being cancelled" check out fine

    December 1, 2009

  • Tick.

    December 1, 2009

  • I would interpret the first sentence MM offers as referring to more than one series, e.g. "The three Star Trek series were on for years before being cancelled." In other words, "series" is not a pluralis tantum word (if that's the right expression) like "scissors" or "bifocals", where the plural form denotes a single referent. It is a singular noun ending in -s that has a ø-inflection in the plural.

    December 1, 2009