[se.ri.al] adj (1840) 1: of, relating to, consisting of, or arranged in a series, rank, or row "~ order"
2: appearing in successive parts or numbers "a ~ story"
3: belonging to a series maturing periodically rather than on a single date "~ bonds"
4: of, relating to, or being music based on a series of tones in a chosen pattern without regard for traditional tonality
5. a: effecting a series of similar acts over a period of time "a ~ killer" b: occurring in such a series "a ~ murder"
6: relating to or being a connection in a computer system in which the bits of a byte are transmitted sequentially over a single wire--compare parallel -- se.ri.al.ly adv
[2]serial n (1846) 1 a: a work appearing (as in a magazine or on television) in parts at intervals b: one part of a serial work: installment
2: a publication (as a newspaper or journal) issued as one of a consecutively numbered and indefinitely continued series