seriate
technical
adjective /ˈsɪərɪət 
/
/Arranged or occurring in one or more series: rocks with seriate textures...
- The charcoal consists entirely of pycnoxylic coniferopsid wood characterized by 30-40 m diameter tracheids with contiguous, oval, seriate, alternate, bordered pitting on their radial walls and blank tangential walls.
verb /ˈsɪərɪeɪt / [with object]
/ [with object]Arrange (items) in a sequence according to prescribed criteria: a program which seriates the classes...
- When seriating sites based on percentages of different ceramic types, for example, the ceramic types are the classes and the site assemblages (containing varying proportions of the types) are the groups.
- It was Piaget who first discussed the ability to seriate as a developmental phenomenon.
- Alternative seriation goals can determine which criteria an analyst chooses to use to optimally seriate targets/responses.
Derivatives
seriation
- Conversely, the extrinsic properties of artifacts can provide chronological information that seriation cannot.
- It is also possible that the seriation does not accurately reflect the temporal duration of zone decorations or that the radiocarbon dates from Bluegrass do not accurately reflect the span of occupation of the site.
- The classes used in seriation are chronological types, also called ‘historical’ or ‘temporal’ types.
Origin
Mid 19th century: back-formation from seriation, from series.