Serial Killer Is a Phrase From the 1970s
Serial means happening in a series. The term serial killer was popularised by the FBI in the 1970s, and serial has nothing to do with cereal.
Serial describes anything that happens in a series, one after another. The chilling compound *serial killer* is recent: it spread through American law enforcement in the 1970s, credited largely to the FBI investigator Robert Ressler, and moved into ordinary language within a decade. The homophone *cereal* is unrelated, coming from Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain.
- Happening in a series. *Serial numbers.*
- Repeated offending. *A serial offender.*
- A story in instalments. *A radio serial.*
- In computing — one bit at a time. *A serial port.*
- Serially — one after another. *Serially connected.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | serial | Serial production. |
| Noun | serial | A Sunday serial. |
| Adverb | serially | Published serially. |
| Root | series | A long series. |
| Homophone | cereal | Breakfast cereal. |
- Note the serial number before you register it.Identification.
- Dickens published most of his novels as serials.Instalments.
- He is a serial complainer.Light, humorous use.
Serial or cereal?
- Serial — in a series, from Latin *series*
- Cereal — grain food, from *Ceres*, goddess of agriculture
- Same sound, no link — the resemblance is pure coincidence
- Serial comma — the one before *and* in a list
- Cereal crops — wheat, barley, rice, maize, oats
From Latin *series*, a row or chain, from *serere*, to join. English formed *serial* in the 1840s, first about publication in instalments.
Who coined serial killer?
The phrase spread through American law enforcement in the 1970s and is usually credited to FBI investigator Robert Ressler, though similar wording appears earlier.
What is a serial comma?
The comma before the final and in a list: red, white, and blue. It is standard in much American publishing and optional in British.