A serum is a liquid that is injected into someone's blood to protect them against a poison or disease.
2. uncountable noun
Serum is the watery, pale yellow part of blood.
More Synonyms of serum
serum in British English
(ˈsɪərəm)
nounWord forms: plural-rums or -ra (-rə)
1. blood serum
2.
antitoxin obtained from the blood serum of immunized animals
3. physiology, zoology
clear watery fluid, esp that exuded by serous membranes
4. a less common word for whey
Derived forms
serumal (ˈserumal)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from Latin: whey
serum in American English
(ˈsɪrəm)
nounWord forms: pluralˈserums or ˈsera (ˈsɪrə)
1.
a.
a clear, watery animal fluid, as serous fluid
b.
the clear, yellowish fluid of the blood which separates from a blood clot after coagulation and shrinkage
: in full blood serum
2.
blood serum containing agents of immunity, taken from an animal made immune to a specific disease by inoculation: it is used as an antitoxin and for diagnosis
3.
the whey of milk
4.
the thin, watery part of a plant fluid
Word origin
L, whey < IE *serom, fluid < base *ser-, to flow > Sans sara-, fluid, Gr hormē, an attack
Examples of 'serum' in a sentence
serum
Treat your face once a week in place of your usual serum or night cream.
The Sun (2016)
Use a serum first to give a boost.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You apply the clear gel serum to teeth for three minutes for three nights.
The Sun (2014)
He also noted that "the serum cholesterol rises when fibre is removed from the diet.
Kowalski, Robert E The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure (1990)
But she's used my hair serum.
The Sun (2008)
In two months, the serum cholesterol is measured again and compared.
Pantano, James A. (MD) Living with Angina (1991)
A good example is mixing up both a serum and a cream.
The Sun (2012)
Only a follow-up blood test to measure serum cholesterol will show if the new diet was worth the trouble.
Pantano, James A. (MD) Living with Angina (1991)
That's why so many people over the years have claimed that dietary cholesterol has little to do with serum cholesterol.
Kowalski, Robert E The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure (1990)
Try to use a protective serum, though, otherwise you risk damage.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They say: Combine with serum or moisturiser and apply to face and neck each morning.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In fact, the serum and moisturiser come in two strengths, so that skin can acclimatise.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This is sufficient to lower serum cholesterol by about 20 to 40 percent.
Pantano, James A. (MD) Living with Angina (1991)
In fact, more LDL receptors will be produced all over the body of a person with a low serum cholesterol.
Pantano, James A. (MD) Living with Angina (1991)
A new happy medium is reached between the number of LDL receptors in the body and the concentration of serum cholesterol.
Pantano, James A. (MD) Living with Angina (1991)
In other languages
serum
British English: serum NOUN
A serum is a liquid that is injected into someone's blood to protect them against a poison or disease.
...injections of anti-cancer serum.
American English: serum
Brazilian Portuguese: soro
Chinese: 免疫血清
European Spanish: suero
French: sérum
German: Serum
Italian: siero
Japanese: 血清
Korean: 혈청 주사액
European Portuguese: soro
Latin American Spanish: suero
All related terms of 'serum'
blood serum
blood plasma from which the clotting factors have been removed
immune serum
clear liquid in blood which contains antibodies
serum albumin
a form of albumin that is the most abundant protein constituent of blood plasma
serum globulin
the blood serum component consisting of proteins with a larger molecular weight than serum albumin
serum hepatitis
→ hepatitis B
serum sickness
an allergic reaction , such as vomiting , skin rash , etc, that sometimes follows 2-3 weeks after an injection of a foreign serum
truth drug
any of various drugs supposed to have the property of making people tell the truth , as by relaxing them
(noun)
Definition
this fluid from the blood of immunized animals used for inoculation or vaccination
He had swallowed a serum to ward off ill-effects.
Synonyms
antidote
He noticed their sickness and prepared an antidote.