Series

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ˈsɪə.ɹiːz/
• US IPA: /ˈsɪɹiz/

Origin

From Latin series, from serere ("to join together, bind").

Full definition of series

Noun

1. A number of things that follow on one after the other or are connected one after the other.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 19, When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. …. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.
• 2013-06-28, Joris Luyendijk, Our banks are out of control, Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic ….  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. When a series of bank failures made this impossible, there was widespread anger, leading to the public humiliation of symbolic figures.
2. A series of seemingly inconsequential events led cumulatively to the fall of the company.
3. (US, Canada) A television or radio program which consists of several episodes that are broadcast in regular intervalsFriends was one of the most successful television series in recent years.
4. (British) A group of episodes of a television or radio program broadcast in regular intervals with a long break between each group, usually with one year between the beginning of each.
   The third series of Friends aired from 1996 to 1997.
5. (mathematics) The sum of the terms of a sequence.
   The harmonic series has been much studied.
6. (cricket, baseball) A group of matches between two sides, with the aim being to win more matches than the opposition.
   The Blue Jays are playing the Yankees in a four-game series.
7. (biology) An unranked taxon.

Usage notes

In the United Kingdom, television and radio programs (spelt in Commonwealth English as "programmes") are divided into series, which are usually a year long. In North America, the word "series" is a synonym of "program", and programs are divided into year-long seasons.

(mathematics) Beginning students often confuse series with sequence.

Synonyms

• (number of things that follow on one after the other) chain, line, sequence, stream, succession
• (television or radio program) show, program

Derived terms

• (media, TV) TV series
• (mathematics) arithmetic series, basic hypergeometric series, confluent hypergeometric series, formal power series, geometric series, hypergeometric series, power series

Related terms

• serial
• seriate
• seriation
• seriatim

Adjective

1. (electronics) Connected one after the other in a circuit.You have to connect the lights in series for them to work properly.

Antonyms

• parallel