English word origin

Etymology of ser

From Middle English ser. Popularised in modern fantasy by George R. R. Martin in the A Song of Ice and Fire series starting in 1996.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Abbreviation of serial.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":abbr",
        "3": "serial",
        "id": "serial"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#abbreviation|Abbreviation]] of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"serial\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"abbreviation\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ser\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"serial\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ser\" id=\"English:_serial\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":abbr",
        "3": "serial",
        "id": "serial"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Abbreviation of serial."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of"
      ],
      "recordId": "862f2346e53eb0cdf5a8c43cf99f75e7fc169e5d313589843a7e1769047e1e88",
      "rawRecordSha256": "470781b1f997eeb7ec0fbddb0ce29da8ba5d86658c436dca4376217efb67fa6a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 156392
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

An old Indian unit of weight, equal to 80 tolas, or one fortieth of a maund.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "weight"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "weight"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An old Indian unit of weight, equal to 80 tolas, or one fortieth of a maund."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "b4090e20a2d6b455a15b6430becc19ffce8d9ee1b410a7322e00a35cc60fe4d3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7ddacfcc23fe05b713f52667ec80a72cca9f4c5abb8ecb2860b44232766a6b80",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 156393
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative spelling of sir.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English ser. Popularised in modern fantasy by George R. R. Martin in the A Song of Ice and Fire series starting in 1996.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionserenm

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:ser",
        "id": "sir"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ser\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"sir\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ser\" id=\"English:_sir\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inherited",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ser"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ser"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:ser",
        "id": "sir"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ser",
      "ser#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of sir."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "c561e8745ed8f50e2ab9404517593fa1d31777e3015f1c0821acb7cee2613999",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c049ef18293cdf5c446ea8465841fe2fe7c798ca17e2f00895c7e305f83f7ed5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 156394
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ser →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2Vy