From earlier ceriph, seriph, surryph, 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.
Meanings
(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. 2018, Paul W. Ross, Revival: The Handbook of Software for Engineers and Scientists:
From earlier ceriph, seriph, surryph, 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.
Meanings
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. 2018, Paul W. Ross, Revival: The Handbook of Software for Engineers and Scientists:
ga trasnán (short line in a font) · ru подсе́чка (short line in a font) · nl schravering (short line in a font) · ja セリフ (short line in a font) · pt serifa (short line in a font) · cs serif (short line in a font) · es patín (short line in a font) · mk се́риф (short line in a font) · ga seiríf (short line in a font) · uk зарубка (short line in a font) · no serif (short line in a font) · ru сери́ф (short line in a font) · ko 세리프 (short line in a font) · cmn 襯線 /衬线 (short line in a font) · de Serife (short line in a font) · es serifa (short line in a font) · ru засе́чка (short line in a font) · es terminal (short line in a font) · he תָּג (short line in a font) · fi pääteviiva (short line in a font) · el πατούρα (short line in a font) · pl szeryf (short line in a font) · el ακρεμόνας (short line in a font) · ar سيرف (short line in a font) · ru отсе́чка (short line in a font) · ga trasmhír (short line in a font) · cs patka (short line in a font) · es remate (short line in a font) · fr empattement (short line in a font) · fr sérif (short line in a font) · sv seriff (short line in a font) · ar مذيل (short line in a font) · es gracia (short line in a font) · nl schreef (short line in a font) · hu betűtalp (short line in a font) · lt užkardėlė (short line in a font) · it grazia (short line in a font)