Part 249

Pope.

2. With unruffled temper; coolly; calmly. Prior.

Se*rene"ness, n. Serenity. Feltham.

Se*ren"i*tude (?), n. Serenity. [Obs.]

Se*ren"i*ty (?), n. [L. serenuas: cf. F. sérénité.] 1. The quality or state of being serene; clearness and calmness; quietness; stillness; peace.

A general peace and serenity newly succeeded a general trouble.

Sir W. Temple.

2. Calmness of mind; eveness of temper; undisturbed state; coolness; composure.

I can not see how any men should ever transgress those moral rules with confidence and serenity.

Locke.

Serenity is given as a title to the members of certain princely families in Europe; as, Your Serenity.

Serf (?), n. [F., fr. L. serus servant, slave; akin to servare to protect, preserve, observe, and perhaps originally, a client, a man under one's protection. Cf. Serve, v. t.] A servant or slave employed in husbandry, and in some countries attached to the soil and transferred with it, as formerly in Russia.

In England, at least from the reign of Henry II, one only, and that the inferior species [of villeins], existed . . . But by the customs of France and Germany, persons in this abject state seem to have been called serfs, and distinguished from villeins, who were only bound to fixed payments and duties in respect of their lord, though, as it seems, without any legal redress if injured by him.

Hallam.

Syn. -- Serf, Slave. A slave is the absolute property of his master, and may be sold in any way. A serf, according to the strict sense of the term, is one bound to work on a certain estate, and thus attached to the soil, and sold with it into the service of whoever purchases the land.

{ Serf"age (?), Serf"dom (?) }, n. The state or condition of a serf.

Serf"hood (?), Serf"ism (&?;), n. Serfage.

Serge (?), n. [F. serge, sarge, originally, a silken stuff, fr. L. serica, f. or neut. pl. of sericus silken. See Sericeous, Silk.] A woolen twilled stuff, much used as material for clothing for both sexes.

Silk serge, a twilled silk fabric used mostly by tailors for lining parts of gentlemen's coats.

Serge, n. [F. cierge.] A large wax candle used in the ceremonies of various churches.

Ser"gean*cy (?), n.; pl. Sergeancies (#). [Cf. Sergeanty.] The office of a sergeant; sergeantship. [Written also serjeancy.]

Ser"geant (?), n. [F. sergent, fr. L. serviens, -entis, p. pr. of servire to serve. See Serve, and cf. Servant.] [Written also serjeant. Both spellings are authorized. In England serjeant is usually preferred, except for military officers. In the United States sergeant is common for civil officers also.] 1. Formerly, in England, an officer nearly answering to the more modern bailiff of the hundred; also, an officer whose duty was to attend on the king, and on the lord high steward in court, to arrest traitors and other offenders. He is now called sergeant-at-arms, and two of these officers, by allowance of the sovereign, attend on the houses of Parliament (one for each house) to execute their commands, and another attends the Court Chancery.

The sergeant of the town of Rome them sought.

Chaucer.

The magistrates sent the serjeant, saying, Let those men go.

Acts xvi. 35.

This fell sergeant, Death, Is strict in his arrest.

Shak.