Serry
(Ser"ry) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Serried ; p. pr. & vb. n. Serrying.] [F. serrer, LL. serrare, serare,
from L. sera a bar, bolt; akin to serere to join or bind together. See Serries.] To crowd; to press together.
[Now perhaps only in the form serried, p. p. or a.]
Sertularia
(||Ser`tu*la"ri*a) n. [NL., dim. fr. L. serta a garland.] (Zoöl.) A genus of delicate branching
hydroids having small sessile hydrothecæ along the sides of the branches.
Sertularian
(Ser`tu*la"ri*an) n. (Zoöl.) Any species of Sertularia, or of Sertularidæ, a family of hydroids
having branched chitinous stems and simple sessile hydrothecæ. Also used adjectively.
Serum
(Se"rum) n. [L., akin to Gr. Skr. sara curd.] (Physiol.) (a) The watery portion of certain animal
fluids, as blood, milk, etc. (b) A thin watery fluid, containing more or less albumin, secreted by the
serous membranes of the body, such as the pericardium and peritoneum.
Blood serum, the pale yellowish fluid which exudes from the clot formed in the coagulation of the blood; the
liquid portion of the blood, after removal of the blood corpuscles and the fibrin. — Muscle serum, the
thin watery fluid which separates from the muscles after coagulation of the muscle plasma; the watery
portion of the plasma. See Muscle plasma, under Plasma. — Serum albumin (Physiol. Chem.), an
albuminous body, closely related to egg albumin, present in nearly all serous fluids; esp., the albumin
of blood serum. — Serum globulin (Physiol. Chem.), paraglobulin. — Serum of milk (Physiol.
Chem.), the whey, or fluid portion of milk, remaining after removal of the casein and fat.
Servable
(Serv"a*ble) a. [See Serve.]
1. Capable of being served.
2. [L. servabilis.] Capable of being preserved. [R.]
Servage
(Serv"age) n. [Cf. F. servage.] Serfage; slavery; servitude. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Serval
(Ser"val) n. [Cf. F. serval.] (Zoöl.) An African wild cat (Felis serval) of moderate size. It has
rather long legs and a tail of moderate length. Its color is tawny, with black spots on the body and rings
of black on the tail.
Servaline
(Ser"val*ine) a. (Zoöl.) Related to, or resembling, the serval.
Servant
(Serv"ant) n. [OE. servant, servaunt, F. servant, a & p. pr. of servir to serve, L. servire.
See Serve, and cf. Sergeant.]
1. One who serves, or does services, voluntarily or on compulsion; a person who is employed by another
for menial offices, or for other labor, and is subject to his command; a person who labors or exerts himself
for the benefit of another, his master or employer; a subordinate helper. "A yearly hired servant." Lev.
xxv. 53.
Men in office have begun to think themselves mere agents and servants of the appointing power, and
not agents of the government or the country.
D. Webster. In a legal sense, stewards, factors, bailiffs, and other agents, are servants for the time they are employed
in such character, as they act in subordination to others. So any person may be legally the servant of
another, in whose business, and under whose order, direction, and control, he is acting for the time
being. Chitty.
2. One in a state of subjection or bondage.
Thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt.
Deut. v. 15.
