serum
UK /ˈsɪəɹəm/ · US /ˈsɪɹəm/ noun
Forms serums sera
- noun Blood serum used as a blood product, in the practice of medicine: blood serum from the tissues of immunized animals (human or nonhuman), containing antibodies and used to transfer immunity to another individual (human or nonhuman).
- noun A watery liquid from animal tissue, especially one that moistens the surface of serous membranes or that is exuded by such membranes when they become inflamed, such as in edema or a blister.
- noun The watery portion of certain other animal fluids, such as milk; whey.
- noun (skincare) A skincare product of varying consistencies with a high concentration of one or more active ingredients, for a targeted purpose, such as preventing acne, repairing sun damage, or moisturizing.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin serum (“whey”). Cognates include French sérum, Spanish suero, Italian siere, siero, Portuguese soro. Doublet of suero.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [L., akin to Gr. sara curd.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “serum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details