ser

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of ser in English

English Online Dictionary. What means ser‎? What does ser mean?

English

Etymology 1

Noun

ser

Abbreviation of serial.

Etymology 2

Noun

ser (plural sers)

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

Etymology 3

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.

Noun

ser (plural sers)

(archaic, now chiefly fantasy) Alternative spelling of sir

Anagrams

res., ERs, res, RSE, RES, Res., ERS, SRE, ers, -ers, ESR

Asturian

Etymology

From Early Medieval Latin essere, from Latin esse. The form sois (second person plural present indicative) displaced expected *estes from Latin estis, second person plural of esse, while ye (third person singular present indicative) lost its ancestor's final st in est since it would have been too similar to yes (second person singular present indicative). The present subjunctive was extended with the Latin third conjugation endings, with the I in the ancestor verb's present subjunctive (originally part of that tense's endings) becoming part of the root.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ/ [ˈseɾ]
Rhymes: -eɾ
Syllabification: ser

Verb

ser

to be

Conjugation

Gramática de la Llingua Asturiana
Normes ortográfiques
Oslin-Ast

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

being

Derived terms

ser humanu

Baure

Noun

ser

tooth
niser — my tooth

eser — a tooth, someone's tooth

nitorak to eser — I found a/someone's tooth

References

Languages of the Amazon (2012, →ISBN

Catalan

Alternative forms

ésser

Etymology 1

Perhaps borrowed from Aragonese or Spanish ser. Doublet of ésser.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈse]
IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈsə]
IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈseɾ]

Verb

ser (first-person singular present soc, first-person singular preterite fui, past participle estat or sigut); root stress: (Central, Valencia, Balearic) /e/

(intransitive) to be, to exist
(intransitive, +adverbial phrase) to be located (to be in a place)
La Torre Eiffel és a París. ― The Eiffel Tower is in Paris.
(transitive, copulative) to be (used to connect a noun to another noun)
(transitive, copulative) to have a characteristic (used to connect a noun to an adjective that describes an inherent property)
(auxiliary) auxiliary verb to form the passive voice, together with a past participle

Usage notes

This is one of two verbs that can be translated as to be, the other being estar. Ser/ésser indicates an inherent quality, whereas estar indicates temporary qualities that apply only at a particular time. Ser/ésser relates to estar as essence relates to state, etymologically as well as semantically.

Conjugation

Derived terms

o sigui
semblar ser
som-hi

Etymology 2

Nominalization of Etymology 1.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Central, Valencia) [ˈser]
IPA^(key): (Balearic) unknown

Noun

ser m (plural sers)

being (living creature)

Chinese

Etymology 1

From clipping of English server.

Pronunciation

Noun

ser

(Hong Kong Cantonese, computing) server (Classifier: 個／个 c; 部 c)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From clipping of English search.

Alternative forms

sear

Pronunciation

Verb

ser

(Hong Kong Cantonese, computing) to search on the Internet; to google

Czech

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈsɛr]
Rhymes: -ɛr

Verb

ser

second-person singular imperative of srát

Danish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /seːr/, [seɐ̯ˀ]

Verb

ser

present of se

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese ser, from Early Medieval Latin essere, from Latin esse. The forms son (“I am”) and sodes pl (“you are”) derive from a Vulgar Latin *sonō and *sutis.

Along the way, the verb absorbed Old Galician-Portuguese seer < Latin sedēre (“sit”). The latter supplied the present subjunctive of modern ser, where /-ʃ-/ reflects Late Latin /-(d)j-/, as in sexa < sedeat).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ/ [ˈs̺eɾ]
Rhymes: -eɾ
Hyphenation: ser

Verb

ser (first-person singular present son, first-person singular preterite fun, past participle sido)
ser (first-person singular present sou, first-person singular preterite fum or fui, past participle sido, reintegrationist norm)

(copulative) to be
Brais é moi alto ― Brais is very tall.
(auxiliary) to be; forms the passive voice [with past participle]
(intransitive) to be (to have as one’s place of origin) [with de ‘from somewhere’]
(intransitive) to be (someone’s); to belong to [with de ‘someone’]
(intransitive) to be for; to be to (to have as its purpose) [with para (+ personal infinitive) or de (+ personal infinitive) ‘for doing something’]
(intransitive) to be; indicates persistence or reiteration [with a (+ infinitive)]

Usage notes

Like Portuguese and Spanish, Galician has two different verbs that are usually translated to English as “to be”. The verb ser relates to essence, origin, or physical description. In contrast, the verb estar relates to current state or position.

Conjugation

Derived terms

ser quen (“to be able to; to dare”)

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

being (living creature)

Hungarian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈʃɛr]
Hyphenation: ser
Rhymes: -ɛr

Noun

ser (countable and uncountable, plural serek)

(archaic, dialectal, humorous) Alternative form of sör (“beer”).

Usage notes

An archaic and dialectal variant of sör, but today it can also be humorous in informal conversations. In compound words and derivations, almost only sör is used.

Declension

Derived terms

Italian

Etymology

Clipping of messer.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsɛr/
Rhymes: -ɛr
Hyphenation: sèr

Noun

ser m

(historical) sir (title and form of address for a gentleman, shortened from messer)
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ― Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (literally, “Leonardo son of Peter, from Vinci”)

Javanese

Romanization

ser

Romanization of ꦱꦼꦂ

Ladino

Verb

ser (Hebrew spelling סיר)

to be

Lolopo

Etymology

From Proto-Loloish *swa² (Bradley), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan. Cognate with Burmese သွား (swa:), Japhug tɯɕɣa, Tibetan སོ (so), Drung sa, Tedim Chin ha:², Jingpho wa.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [sə²¹]

Noun

ser

(Yao'an) tooth

Mauritian Creole

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sɛː/

Etymology 1

From French sœur.

Noun

ser

sister
Synonym: didi

Etymology 2

From French cher.

Adjective

ser

dear
expensive

Middle Dutch

Noun

ser

(title and pronoun) sir, lord
- 1301-1350, Van den VII vroeden van binnen Rome. Een dichtwerk der XIVde eeuw (INL)
- 1414, Hennen van Merchtenen's Cornicke van Brabant (INL)

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

ser

Alternative form of sire

Etymology 2

Noun

ser

Alternative form of sere (“dry”)

Etymology 3

Adjective

ser

Alternative form of sere (“differing”)

Mirandese

Etymology

From Early Medieval Latin essere, from Latin esse.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ/

Verb

ser

to be (indicates a permanent quality)

Conjugation

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

being

Northern Kurdish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Iranian *cŕ̥Hah, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćŕ̥Has (“head, top”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱŕ̥h₂-os, derived from the root *ḱerh₂- (“head, horn”). As used in the sense of "over" displaced wer, which got the sense of "around" instead.

Alternative forms

serî

Noun

ser m (Arabic spelling سەر)

(anatomy) head
Synonym: kelle
point, tip
beginning, start
end, extremity
(colloquial, vulgar) penis, dick

Declension

Derived terms

bi ser keftin ("to succeed")
birin serî ("to bring to an end, get it over with")
ser dan ("to visit")
sereke ("main")
serok, serek ("president")
bi ser va bûn ("to belong to")
va ser kirin, bi ser va kirin, kirin ser, bi ser xistin ("to add, put on")
bi ser da birin ("to deceive, tempt")

Etymology 2

Same as above.

Preposition

ser (Arabic spelling سەر)

on, on top (with li (“on; at”))
Antonym: bin

li ser maseyê ― on the table
over (with bi (“with”) or di ... re (“through”))
di ser me ra bihurî ― passed over us

bi ser ketin ― win, win over; literally "get over, get on top"

References

Chyet, Michael L. (2020) “ser I”, in Ferhenga Birûskî: Kurmanji–English Dictionary (Language Series; 2), volume 2, London: Transnational Press, page 233
Chyet, Michael L. (2020) “ser II”, in Ferhenga Birûskî: Kurmanji–English Dictionary (Language Series; 2), volume 2, London: Transnational Press, page 234

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /seːr/
Rhymes: -eːr

Verb

ser

present of se

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /seːr/, /ʂeːr/

Verb

ser

present of sjå

Old Spanish

Alternative forms

eser

Etymology

From Latin esse(re). The initial E was lost.

Verb

ser

to be (describes a permanent characteristic)

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Spanish: ser (for the most part)

Pohnpeian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sɛr/

Verb

ser

(intransitive) to run aground

Interjection

ser

An exclamation used to attract the attention of two or more people.

Polish

Alternative forms

syr (obsolete)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish syr, from Proto-Slavic *syrъ. Doublet of żur.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsɛr/
Rhymes: -ɛr
Syllabification: ser
Homophone: sir

Noun

ser m inan (diminutive serek, related adjective serowy or (obsolete) serny)

(uncountable) cheese (dairy product made from curdled or cultured milk)
Hypernym: nabiał
(countable) cheese (any particular variety of cheese)
(countable) cheese (piece of cheese, especially one moulded into a large round shape during manufacture)
Hypernym: porcja

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese ser, from Early Medieval Latin essere, from Latin esse. The forms sou (“I am”) and sois pl (“you are”) derive from a Vulgar Latin *sonō and *sutis.

Along the way, the verb absorbed Old Galician-Portuguese seer < Latin sedēre (“sit”). The latter supplied the present subjunctive of modern ser, where /-ʒ-/ reflects Late Latin /-(d)j-/, as in seja < sedeat).

Pronunciation

Rhymes: -eɾ
Homophones: sê (Brazil), cê (Brazil) (with -r dropping)
Hyphenation: ser

Verb

ser (first-person singular present sou, first-person singular preterite fui, past participle sido)

(copulative) to be (to have the given quality), especially a quality that is intrinsic or not expected to change, contrasting with estar which denotes a temporary quality
(transitive) to be (to be an example or type of, or the same as)
(auxiliary) to be; forms the passive voice [with past participle]
(intransitive) to be; indicates a point in time
(intransitive) to be in (to be located in) [with em ‘location’ or another locational preposition or adverb]
Synonyms: ficar em, localizar-se em
(intransitive) to be (to have as one’s place of origin) [with de ‘from somewhere’]
Synonym: vir de
(intransitive) to be (someone’s); to belong to [with de ‘someone’]
Synonym: pertencer a
(intransitive) to be for; to be to (to have as its purpose) [with para (+ personal infinitive) or de (+ personal infinitive) ‘for doing something’]
Synonym: servir para
(impersonal) to be supposed to; should; introduces an expected or demanded action [with para (+ subject pronoun (optional) with personal infinitive)]
Synonym: dever
(transitive) to be; to cost (to be worth a given amount of money)
Synonyms: custar, valer
(intransitive) to happen; to take place; to occur
Synonyms: acontecer, haver, ocorrer, ter, produzir-se, realizar-se, sobrevir, suceder
(intransitive) to be against or in favour of [with a favor de ‘in favor of’; or with contra ‘against’]
(poetic, intransitive) to exist; to be
(impersonal, transitive) used for emphasis

Usage notes

Portuguese has two different verbs that are usually translated to English as “to be”: generally ser relates to essence, contrasting with estar, which relates to state.

Contrast the following:

O homem está feliz. ― The man is [currently] happy.
O homem é feliz. ― The man is [always] happy.
Você está louco? ― Are you crazy [acting or currently insane]?
Você é louco? ― Are you crazy [permanently insane]?
Ela está em casa. ― She is [currently] at home.
Ela é do Brasil. ― She is [originally] from Brazil.
Ela está no Brasil. ― She is [currently] in Brazil.

Conjugation

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ser.

Synonyms

(forms the passive voice): any reflexive pronoun

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

being (a living creature)
Synonyms: criatura, ente

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:ser.

Derived terms

ser humano
ser vivo

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin serum, French sérum. Cf. also zer.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ser/

Noun

ser n (plural seruri)

serum

Declension

Romansch

Verb

ser (Sursilvan)

Alternative form of seser

Slovene

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *śěrъ.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /séːr/

Adjective

sẹ̑r (comparative bȍlj sẹ̑r, superlative nȁjbolj sẹ̑r)

(archaic) grey, gray (color/colour)
Synonym: siv

Declension

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sɛ́ːr/

Noun

sȇr m anim

vulture of the genus Gypaetus
brkati ser ― bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

From Early Medieval Latin essere, from Latin esse. The form sois pl (“you are”) derives from a Vulgar Latin *sutis.

Along the way, the verb absorbed Old Spanish seer < Latin sedēre (“sit”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ/ [ˈseɾ]
Rhymes: -eɾ
Syllabification: ser

Verb

ser (first-person singular present soy, first-person singular preterite fui, past participle sido)

to be (essentially or identified as)
Yo soy de los Estados Unidos. ― I am from the United States.

Errar es humano. ― To err is human.
to be (in the passive voice sense)
La guitarra fue tocada. ― The guitar was played.
to exist; to occur
La fiesta será mañana. ― The party will be tomorrow.

Usage notes

Spanish has two different verbs that are usually translated to English as "to be": ser, which relates to essence, and estar, which relates to state; these verbs are generally not interchangeable. Contrast the following:

El hombre está feliz. ― The man is happy [currently].
El hombre es feliz. ― The man is happy [i.e., a joyous person].
¿Estás loco? ― Are you crazy [i.e., currently out of your mind]?
¿Eres loco? ― Are you crazy [i.e., an insane person]?
El hombre está en España. ― The man is [currently] in Spain.
El hombre es de España. ― The man is [originally] from Spain.
¿Cómo estás? ― How are you?
¿Cómo eres? ― What are you like?

The "essence/state" distinction between the two verbs is often misinterpreted as a "permanent/temporary" distinction. In most contexts these distinctions are practically synonymous (including all of the above examples) but there exist cases in which they are not, and using the latter distinction can lead one to choosing the incorrect verb. For example:

Mi abuelito está muerto. ― My grandad is dead. (Here está is used instead of es because death is a state, even though it is permanent.)
¡Todavía somos jóvenes! ― We are still young! (Here somos is used instead of estamos because a person's age is seen as a defining characteristic rather than a state, even if it is not permanent.)

Also, when stating the location of an object (but not an event), estar is used, regardless of whether the location is permanent or not:

Madrid está en el centro de España. ― Madrid is in central Spain.

Conjugation

In the preterite indicative and the imperfect and future subjunctive, the conjugation of ser is identical to that of ir ("to go"). Thus, for example, yo fui can mean either "I was" or "I went", depending on context.

Derived terms

Noun

ser m (plural seres)

a being, organism
nature, essence
value, worth

Related terms

Swedish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /seːr/

Verb

ser

present indicative of se

Anagrams

ers, res

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English sir, from Middle English sir, unstressed form of sire, borrowed from Old French sire (“master, sir, lord”), from Latin senior (“older, elder”). Doublet of senyor.

Pronunciation

(Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈseɾ/ [ˈsɛɾ]
Rhymes: -eɾ
Syllabification: ser

Noun

ser (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜒᜇ᜔) (colloquial)

sir (a respectful term of address to a man of higher rank or position (often older), especially if his name or proper title is unknown)
Synonyms: ginoo, maginoo

Related terms

Turkish

Etymology 1

From Persian (sar).

Noun

ser (definite accusative seri, plural serler)

(archaic) head

Synonyms

(head): baş, kafa

Etymology 2

Verb

ser

second-person singular imperative of sermek

Volapük

Numeral

ser

zero

Welsh

Etymology

From Old Welsh serr, Proto-Celtic *serrā. Cf. Middle Irish serr.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sɛr/

Noun

ser m (plural serrod or serroedd, not mutable)

billhook, sickle, scythe
(dictionary) sword

Synonyms

(scythe): pladur

References

R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “ser”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN

ser

ser

English

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

Etymology 3

Noun

Anagrams

Asturian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Verb

Conjugation

Noun

Derived terms

Baure

Noun

References

Catalan

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Verb

Usage notes

Conjugation

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Further reading

Chinese

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

See also

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Verb

See also

Czech

Pronunciation

Verb

Danish

Pronunciation

Verb

Galician

Etymology

Pronunciation

Verb

Usage notes

Conjugation

Derived terms

Noun

See also

Further reading

Hungarian

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Javanese

Romanization

Ladino

Verb

Lolopo

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Mauritian Creole

Pronunciation