# Serif (typography)



## Rainbowlight

Hello everyone,

I would like to know how you call in your mother tongue these tiny shapes that keep written letterforms from not being grounded. Of course, they can also have a purely ornamental effect.

English uses the word "*serif*"

French uses the word "*empattement*"

Spanish uses "*serif*" too, but I find it interesting that the word "*tilde*" (which is the word used for referring to the graphical accent in Spanish) has an interesting relationship with a word like "*atildado*" (neat, groomed). It is almost as these signs helped to "dress" the text, to render it more beautiful.

Italian does use of "*serif*", but , again, these signs are also called "*grazie*" (as in graceful forms that enliven or beautify the written text)

Could you please be so kind as to share here how are these signs called in your languages?

Thanks for your help and kindness.


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## apmoy70

In Greek it's *πατούρα* [paˈt̠uɾa], feminine augmentative of the masc. *πάτος* [ˈpat̠o̞s̠] - - > _bottom, base of a bottle, container, the insole of the boot/shoe, (typography) serif_ < Classical masc. noun *πάτος pắtŏs*


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## Mori.cze

In Czech it is "patka", diminutive of "pata" meaning heel (backward part of a human foot)


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## Rainbowlight

apmoy70 said:


> In Greek it's *πατούρα* [paˈt̠uɾa], feminine augmentative of the masc. *πάτος* [ˈpat̠o̞s̠] - - > _bottom, base of a bottle, container, the insole of the boot/shoe, (typography) serif_ < Classical masc. noun *πάτος pắtŏs*


Thank you so much.



Mori.cze said:


> In Czech it is "patka", diminutive of "pata" meaning heel (backward part of a human foot)


Thank you so much. I guess neither "patka" nor "pata" have anything to do with words or expressions evoking a police force or a sense of order, neatness and cleanliness...


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## Welsh_Sion

Sorry to be boring - but this works if you understand Welsh phonetics. We say '*seriff*'.


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## Rainbowlight

Welsh_Sion said:


> Sorry to be boring - but this works if you understand Welsh phonetics. We say '*seriff*'.


Thank you very much. Does the accent fall on the first or second syllable?


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## Welsh_Sion

95+% of Welsh words have the accent on the penultimate syllable. This one does, too, / 'serif/ in case you were wondering why I said you had to understand the phonetics: <ff> = /f/; <f> = /v/. (There is no <v> in the alphabet.)


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## AutumnOwl

In Swedish there's the borrowed word _seriff_, and _klack_ (heel (as on a shoe)), and _schattering_ (shading) are also used.


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## Olaszinhok

Rainbowlight said:


> "*grazie*" (


Serif is  *grazia* in Italian. Grazie is the plural form.
serif - Dizionario inglese-italiano WordReference


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## Rainbowlight

Olaszinhok said:


> Serif is  *grazia* in Italian. Grazie is the plural form.
> serif - Dizionario inglese-italiano WordReference


Thank you very much!

And, indeed, grazie! : )


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## Ghabi

Cantonese (as used among typographers):

serif="with-leg" 有腳
non-serif="without-leg" 冇腳


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## Demiurg

It's _Serif*e*_ in German.


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## Rainbowlight

Ghabi said:


> Cantonese (as used among typographers):
> 
> serif="with-leg" 有腳
> non-serif="without-leg" 冇腳


Thanks for your help.



Demiurg said:


> It's _Serif*e*_ in German.


Thanks for your answer.


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## swift

Rainbowlight said:


> Spanish uses "*serif*" too,


*Serifa*, to be precise.


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## סייבר־שד

swift said:


> *Serifa*, to be precise.


I've never heard or read either *serif *or *serifa *over here; then again, I'm no typographer, so that may be far from surprising, but having dabbled in typography every now and then, I _have _come across the term *remate*, which is an equivalent for *serif*. Thus, you may find *tipos (de letra) con remate* or *tipos de palo* *seco *(= sans serif). 

I should add, though, that neither *serif* nor *serifa *have been included so far in the RAE dictionary, and even the entry *remate *itself doesn't list this particular meaning of the word, for some strange reason.


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## swift

You’re reading the wrong dictionary. 😅 Or perhaps you’re expecting too much from a non-specialized dictionary. 🙃 You should be reading authors like Martínez de Sousa. 🤓


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## סייבר־שד

swift said:


> You’re reading the wrong dictionary. 😅 Or perhaps you’re expecting too much from a non-specialized dictionary. 🙃


Touché...The second one seems more likely, though; reading the RAE, or any good dictionary, really, is _never _wrong, in my book. 😁


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## ThomasK

We have a very Dutch for that, I think: _schreef _(with seriff: _schreef-loos_, seriff-less).


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## Drakonica

Polish:
serif = szeryfowy
non-serif = bezszeryfowy
-y/a/e - depends on gender of a noun


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## Armas

Finnish: *pääteviiva* (terminal line) or *serif*.


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## Messquito

In Taiwanese Mandarin:
襯線

In Chinese there's 襯托 meaning where something insignificant is added to help bring out or emphasize the integral part. I suppose that's where the term came from, since serif is meant to make the characters more recognizable.


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## Rainbowlight

ThomasK said:


> We have a very Dutch for that, I think: _schreef _(with seriff: _schreef-loos_, seriff-less).


Thank you!


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## Rainbowlight

Drakonica said:


> Polish:
> serif = szeryfowy
> non-serif = bezszeryfowy
> -y/a/e - depends on gender of a noun


Thank you so much for your answer.


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## Rainbowlight

Armas said:


> Finnish: *pääteviiva* (terminal line) or *serif*.


Thanks for your help. : )


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## Rainbowlight

Messquito said:


> In Taiwanese Mandarin:
> 襯線
> 
> In Chinese there's 襯托 meaning where something insignificant is added to help bring out or emphasize the integral part. I suppose that's where the term came from, since serif is meant to make the characters more recognizable.


Thank you very much for your answer. : )


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