Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cere” come from?

Cere comes from Middle English sere, from Middle English sure, from Latin securus, meaning "free from care or anxiety."

cere (English): A waxy protuberance at the base of the upper beak...

Definitions

  1. A waxy protuberance at the base of the upper beak...

Ancestry of “cere”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishseredry, withered, shrunken, brittle; Individual,...
2Old Norsesérdative of sik; second/third-person singular...
3Old Norsesikoneself
4Proto-GermanicsikAlternative form of *sek
5Proto-Germanicsīkątrickling water; a dribble; a slow brook; a...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanseykʷ-to moisten; to filter
7Proto-Indo-Europeansey-to be wet; dribble; run; to stretch one's arm;...

Words derived from “cere”

  • cerecloth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sey- →