Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

sĕrum, i, n. (collat. form sĕrū, acc. to Charis. p. 23 P.) [prob. sibilated from ὀρός].

  1. I. The watery part of curdled milk, whey, Plin. 11, 41, 96, § 239; 28, 9, 33, § 126; Col. 7, 12, 10; Verg. G. 3, 406; Tib. 2, 3, 16; Ov. F. 4, 770.
  2. II. Transf., like ὀρός, of the watery parts, serum, of other things; of resin, Plin. 16, 12, 23, § 60: seminis genitalis, Cat. 80, 8.

sērus, a, um, adj. [cf. series; Sanscr. sărat, thread; that which is long drawn out],

  1. I. late (freq. and class.; cf.: tardus, lentus): nescis quid vesper serus vehat (the title of a work by Varro), Varr. ap. Gell. 1, 22, 4; 13, 11, 1: sero a vespere, Ov. M. 4, 415: serā nocte, Liv. 1, 57, 9; Col. 1 praef.; Prop. 1, 3, 10; Val. Fl. 7, 400: crepuscula, Ov. M. 1, 219: lux, id. ib. 15, 651: dies, Tac. H. 3, 82 (cf. infra, B.): hiems, Liv. 32, 28, 6: anni, i. e. ripe years, age, Ov. M. 6, 29; 9, 434; id. F. 5, 63; cf. aetas, id. A. A. 1, 65; Plaut. Aul. 4, 1, 4: gratulatio, Cic. Fam. 2, 7, 1: portenta deūm Tarda et sera nimis, id. poët. Div. 2, 30, 64: nepotes, Ov. M. 6, 138: posteritas, id. P. 1, 4, 24: sera eruditio, quam Graeci ὀψιμαθίαν appellant, Gell. 11, 7, 3; cf. poet., of persons, with gen.: o seri studiorum! ye late-learned, ὀψιμαθεῖς (i. e. backward, ignorant), Hor. S. 1, 10, 21 (v. infra, b. α): ulmus, late- or slowly-growing (acc. to others, old), Verg. G. 4, 144; so, ficus, late in bearing, Col. 5, 10, 10; cf. serotinus, and v. the foll. under sup.
    Comp.     (rare; not in Cic. or Cæs.; cf. adv. infra fin.): serior mors (opp. maturior), Cels. 2, 6 med.: senectus, Mart. 5, 6, 3: spe omnium serius bellum, Liv. 2, 3, 1: serior putatio, Col. 4, 23, 1; 2, 10, 15.
    Poet., for posterior: serior aetas, Ov. Tr. 5, 9, 7; Tib. 1, 4, 33: hora, Ov. H. 19, 14.
    Sup.: successores quam serissimi, Vell. 2, 131, 2: serissima omnium (pirorum) Amerina, etc., ripening the latest, Plin. 15, 15, 16, § 55; cf. supra.
        1. b. Poet.
          1. (α) For the adv. sero, of one who does any thing late: serus in caelum redeas, Hor. C. 1, 2, 45: serus Graecis admovit acumina chartis, id. Ep. 2, 1, 161: jusserit ad se Maecenas serum sub lumina prima venire Convivam, late in the day, id. S. 2, 7, 33: nec nisi serus abi, Ov. A. A. 2, 224: poena tamen tacitis sera venit pedibus, Tib. 1, 10, 3: (me) Arguit incepto serum accessisse labori, Ov. M. 13, 297.
            So with things as subjects: sera rubens accendit lumina Vesper, Verg. G. 1, 251: imposita est sero tandem manus ultima bello, Ov. M. 13, 403: seros pedes assumere, id. ib. 15, 384: Cantaber serā domitus catenā, Hor. C. 3, 8, 22: serum ut veniamus ad amnem Phasidos, Val. Fl. 4, 708.
            With gen.: o seri studiorum! Hor. S. 1, 10, 21 (v. supra); so, belli serus, Sil. 3, 255.
            With inf.: cur serus versare boves et plaustra Bootes? Prop. 3, 5 (4, 4), 35.
          2. (β) For adverb. use of sera and serum, v. adv. infra.
    1. B. Substt. ‡
      1. 1. sēra, ae, f. (sc. hora), a late hour, the evening hour, ἑσπέρα, sera, vespra, crepusculum, Gloss. Vet.
      2. 2. sērum, i, n., late time, late hour (of the day or night; first in Liv.; esp. in the historians): serum erat diei, Liv. 7, 8, 4: quia serum diei fuerit, id. 26, 3, 1: jamque sero diei subducit ex acie legionem, Tac. A. 2, 21 fin.: extrahebatur in quam maxime serum diei certamen, Liv. 10, 28, 2 Drak. N. cr.: in serum noctis convivium productum, id. 33, 48; cf.: ad serum usque diem, Tac. H. 3, 82.
        Absol., in Sueton., of a late hour of the day: in serum dimicatione protractā, Suet. Aug. 17; id. Ner. 22: in serum usque patente cubiculo, id. Oth. 11.
  2. II. Pregn., too late (class.): ut magis exoptatae Kalendae Januariae quam serae esse videantur, Cic. Phil. 5, 1: neque rectae voluntati serum est tempus ullum, etc., Quint. 12, 1, 31: tempus cavendi, Sen. Thyest. 487: bellum, Sall. Fragm. ap. Philarg. Verg. G. 4, 144: Antiates serum auxilium post proelium venerant, Liv. 3, 5 fin.; 31, 24: auxilia, Val. Fl. 3, 562: improbum consilium serum, ut debuit, fuit: et jam profectus Virginius erat, etc., Liv. 3, 46 fin.: redit Alcidae jam sera cupido, Val. Fl. 4, 247: seras conditiones pacis tentare, Suet. Aug. 17: cum tandem ex somno surrexissent, in quod serum erat, aliquot horas remis in naves collocandis absumpserunt, which was too late, Liv. 33, 48, 8: hoc serum est, Mart. 8, 44, 1; and with a subj.-clause: dum deliberamus, quando incipiendum sit, incipere jam serum est, Quint. 12, 6, 3; so, serum est, advocare iis rebus affectum, etc., id. 4, 2, 115.
        1. b. Poet. for the adverb (cf. supra, I. b. α): tum decuit metuisse tuis: nunc sera querelis Haud justis assurgis, too late, Verg. A. 10, 94: ad possessa venis praeceptaque gaudia serus, Ov. H. 17, 107: Herculeas jam serus opes spretique vocabis Arma viri, Val. Fl. 3, 713: serā ope vincere fata Nititur, Ov. M. 2, 617: auxilia ciere, Val. Fl. 3, 562.
          Hence, adv., in three forms.
      1. 1. sēră, late (poet. and very rare): sera comans Narcissus, late in flowering, Verg. G. 4, 122.
      2. 2. sērum, late at night (poet. and very rare): quae nocte sedens serum canit, Verg. A. 12, 864.
      3. 3. sērō̆.
    1. A. (Acc. to I.) Late.
        1. a. Late, at a late hour of the day or night (rare but class.): eo die Lentulus venit sero, Cic. Att. 7, 21, 1 (cf. infra, B.): domum sero redire, id. Fam. 7, 22.
        2. b. Late, at a late period of time, in gen. (freq. and class.): res rustica sic est: si unam rem sero feceris omnia opera sero facies, Cato, R. R. 5, 7; Cic. Brut. 10, 39; Quint. 6, 3, 103: doctores artis sero repertos, id. 2, 17, 7; 2, 5, 3.
          Comp.: modo surgis Eoo Temperius caelo, modo serius incidis undis, Ov. M. 4, 198; Liv. 31, 11, 10: serius, quam ratio postulat, Quint. 2, 1, 1: scripsi ad Pompeium serius quam oportuit, Cic. Fam. 14, 10; 15, 1, 4; id. Sest. 31, 67; Liv. 37, 45, 18; 42, 28, 1: itaque serius aliquanto notatus et cognitus (numerus), Cic. Or. 56, 186: serius egressus vestigia vidit in alto Pulvere, Ov. M. 4, 105: ipse salutabo decimā vel serius horā, Mart. 1, 109, 9: omnium Versatur urna serius ocius Sors exitura, later or earlier (or, as we say, inverting the order, sooner or later), Hor. C. 2, 3, 26; so, serius aut citius sedem properamus ad unam, Ov. M. 10, 33: serius ei triumphandi causa fuit, ne, etc., Liv. 39, 6, 4; 38, 27, 4: in acutis morbis serius aeger alendus est, Cels. 3, 2.
          Sup.: ut quam serissime ejus profectio cognosceretur, Caes. B. C. 3, 75 (Scaliger ex conj.); so, legi pira Tarentina, Plin. 15, 17, 18, § 61 (al. serissima).
    2. B. (Acc to II.) Too late (freq. and class.): abi stultus, sero post tempus venis, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 90: idem, quando illaec occasio periit, post sero cupit, id. Aul. 2, 2, 71; id. Am. 2, 2, 34; id. Men. 5, 6, 31; id. Pers. 5, 1, 16 (Opp. temperi); id. Trin. 2, 4, 14; 2, 4, 167; 4, 2, 147; Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 103; id. Ad. 2, 4, 8. (Scipio) factus est consul bis: primum ante tempus: iterum sibi suo tempore, rei publicae paene sero, Cic. Lael. 3, 11; id. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 3, § 9: sero resistimus ei, quem per annos decem aluimus contra nos, id. Att. 7, 5, 5; id. Verr. 2, 5, 63, § 164 et saep.: ne nimis sero ad extrema veniamus, far too late, id. Phil. 2, 19, 47; Liv. 21, 3, 5.
      Hence, in a double sense, alluding to the signif. A. a.: cum interrogaret (accusator), quo tempore Clodius occisus esset? respondit (Milo), Sero, Quint. 6, 3, 49.
      Prov.: sero sapiunt Phryges, are wise too late, are troubled with after-wit; v. sapio.
      Comp., in the same sense: possumus audire aliquid, an serius venimus? Cic. Rep. 1, 13, 20: ad quae (mysteria) biduo serius veneram, id. de Or. 3, 20, 75: doleo me in vitam paulo serius tamquam in viam ingressum, id. Brut. 96, 330: erit verendum mihi, ne non hoc potius omnes boni serius a me, quam quisquam crudelius factum esse dicat, id. Cat. 1, 2, 5: serius a terrā provectae naves, Caes. B. C. 3, 8; Suet. Tib. 52.