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Where does the word "serum" come from? It comes from Latin serum, and was adopted directly into English (1670s).
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Where does the word "serum" come from? It comes from Latin serum, and was adopted directly into English (1670s).
Serum’s story begins in Latin: serum meant “whey.” Literally whey, the watery liquid remaining after milk curdles. It reached English by 1670s as serum. Adopted for the clear fluid component of blood. Today, serum means the clear fluid part of blood, or a medicinal solution derived from it.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient serum "whey", literally whey, the watery liquid remaining after milk curdles.
- Stage 2 · English · 1670s serum "the clear fluid part of blood", adopted for the clear fluid component of blood.