serene

English edit

Pronunciation edit

(UK) IPA^(key): /səˈɹiːn/
(US) IPA^(key): /səˈɹin/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -iːn

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English, borrowed from Latin serēnus (“clear, cloudless, untroubled”).

Adjective edit

serene (comparative more serene or serener, superlative most serene or serenest)

Calm, peaceful, unruffled.
She looked at her students with joviality and a serene mentality.
- 1910, Emerson Hough, “A Lady in Company”, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 6:
  Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.
Without worry or anxiety; unaffected by disturbance.
- 1908, {{w|Andy Adams, Reed Anthony, Cowman
  I took train and reached Wichita, where my active partner was awaiting me. He had just returned from the Medicine River, and reported everything serene.
(archaic) Fair and unclouded (as of the sky); clear; unobscured.
- 1717, Alexander Pope, “Winter. The Fourth Pastoral. […]”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC, page 30:
  Now ſleeping flocks on their ſoft fleeces lie, / The moon, ſerene in glory, mounts the sky, […]
- 1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC, page 32:
  Full many a gem of pureſt ray ſerene / The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear: […]
- 1818, [Mary Shelley], chapter VI, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, →OCLC:
  A serene sky and verdant fields filled me with ecstasy.
Used as part of certain titles, originally to indicate sovereignty or independence.
Her Serene Highness

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

peaceful, calm

Armenian: խաղաղ (hy) (xaġaġ), անդորր (hy) (andorr)
Aromanian: sirin
Belarusian: ціхамі́рны (cixamírny), спако́йны (be) (spakójny)
Bulgarian: спокоен (bg) (spokoen), тих (bg) (tih)
Catalan: serè (ca)
Cebuano: tin-od, tinong
Chinese:
Mandarin: 平靜／平静 (zh) (píngjìng), 寧靜／宁静 (zh) (níngjìng), 安詳／安详 (zh) (ānxiáng)
Czech: klidný (cs) m
Dalmatian: saran
Dutch: sereen (nl)
Finnish: seesteinen (fi), rauhallinen (fi), tyyni (fi)
French: serein (fr) m, sereine (fr) f
Friulian: seren
German: gelassen (de), ruhig (de)
Hungarian: derűs (hu)
Indonesian: tenteram (id)
Italian: sereno (it)
Japanese: 静かな (ja) (しずかな, shizuka na), 平静な (ja) (へいせいな, heisei na)
Korean: 고요하다 (ko) (goyohada)
Latin: serēnus
Macedonian: спо́коен (spókoen), ти́вок (tívok)
Norwegian: fredelig (no)
Occitan: seren (oc)
Polish: spokojny (pl), opanowany (pl), niewzruszony (pl)
Portuguese: sereno (pt)
Romanian: senin (ro)
Russian: безмяте́жный (ru) (bezmjatéžnyj), споко́йный (ru) (spokójnyj)
Sardinian: assulenu, selenu
Spanish: sereno (es)
Swedish: fridfull (sv), lugn (sv)
Ukrainian: безтурбо́тний (uk) (bezturbótnyj), спокі́йний (spokíjnyj)
Walloon: etait (wa) m, etaite (wa) f, påjhire (wa) m or f, li cour etait (wa)

fair and unclouded

Armenian: հստակ (hy) (hstak), ջինջ (hy) (ǰinǰ), պարզ (hy) (parz), պայծառ (hy) (paycaṙ), անամպ (hy) (anamp)
Aromanian: sirin
Bulgarian: ясен (bg) (jasen), безоблачен (bg) (bezoblačen)
Cebuano: tilha
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: seesteinen (fi), pilvetön (fi), kirkas (fi)
French: serein (fr) m, sereine (fr) f
Italian: sereno (it)
Japanese: 晴れた (ja) (はれた, hareta)
Latin: serēnus
Macedonian: ве́дар (védar), чист (čist), ја́сен (jásen), безо́блачен (bezóblačen)
Polish: pogodny (pl)
Portuguese: sereno (pt)
Romanian: senin (ro)
Russian: чи́стый (ru) (čístyj), безо́блачный (ru) (bezóblačnyj), я́сный (ru) (jásnyj)
Spanish: sereno (es)
Walloon: clair (wa) m, claire (wa) f, sins ene barbôjhe

part of royal title

Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Czech: jasný (cs) m
Finnish: kuninkaallinen (fi), keisarillinen (fi) (etc., according to the rank of the dignitary)
Macedonian: све́тлост f (svétlost)
Polish: najjaśniejszy
Russian: светлость (ru) n (svetlostʹ)
Spanish: sereno (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Italian: ^{(please verify)} sereno (it) m, ^{(please verify)} serena (it) f
Latin: ^{(please verify)} serenus

Verb edit

serene (third-person singular simple present serenes, present participle serening, simple past and past participle serened)

(transitive) To make serene.
- 1708, [John Philips], “Book II”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 68:
  The Hoary Froſts, and Northern Blaſts take care / Thy muddy Bev'rage to ſerene, and drive / Præcipitant the baſer, ropy Lees.
- a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC, page 34, lines 866–867:
  When heaven and earth, as if contending, vye / To raiſe his being, and ſerene his ſoul.

Noun edit

serene (plural serenes)

(poetic) Serenity; clearness; calmness.
- 1801, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […], →OCLC:
  the serene of heaven
- 1742, Edward Young, Night Thoughts on Life, Death and Immortality:
  To their master is denied / To share their sweet serene.

Etymology 2 edit

Borrowed from Middle French serein, from Old French serein (“evening”), from Vulgar Latin *serānum, from substantive use of sērum, neuter of sērus (“late”) + -ānus suffix.

Noun edit

serene (plural serenes)

A fine rain from a cloudless sky after sunset.
- 1605 (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Volpone, or The Foxe. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC:
  Some serene blast me.