serial numbern.
/ˈsɪərɪəl ˌnʌmbə/, U.S. /ˈsɪriəl ˌnəmbər/ A number assigned to a person, item, etc., indicating position in a series; spec. a number printed on a banknote or manufactured article by means of which it can be identified.name, rank, and serial number: see name n. and adj. Phrases 21.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > marking > marking to identify > mark of identification > [noun] > number
numberc1350
reference number1730
serial number1838
code number1862
key code1941
1838 C. S. Rafinesque Genius & Spirit of Hebrew Bible 165 The titles said by D'Olivet to be given to the 10 first chapters of Genesis which he has translated in French and English..are as follow, and refer to their serial numbers.
1866 Beadle's Monthly Nov. 401/1 Our note [sc. a banknote] has now received its distinctive serial number, and is ready for trimming, sealing and cutting.
1935 F. W. Crofts Crime at Guildford xiv. 201 All these high-class cameras bore a serial number.
1959 A. Cooke in Manch. Guardian 30 June 8/5 It shows a willingness to surrender but a refusal to reveal one's serial number.
1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File i. 11 People posted to him..were..given a new serial number from the batch..reserved for Civil Servants seconded to military duties.
1971 R. K. Smith Ransom (1972) iii. 121 Very good field glasses for a kid... Probably stolen. He typed the serial number on the form.
2002 Daily Tel. 24 July 27/4 All four UK networks will share the serial numbers of handsets and will blacklist ill-gotten mobiles.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1838