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serge 1 (sûrj)
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n.
A twilled cloth of worsted or worsted and wool, often used for suits.

[Middle English sarge, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *sārica, from Latin sērica (vestis), silken (clothing), feminine of sēricus, silken, from Greek sērikos, of the Seres, silken, from Sēres, a people of eastern Asia, perhaps China.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
serge 2 (sûrj)
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tr.v. serged, serg·ing, serg·es
To overcast (the raw edges of a fabric) to prevent unraveling.

[Back formation from serging, type of overcast stitch, from SERGE1.]

serger n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.