What does "sere" mean?

Sere: [OE. seer, AS. seár (assumed) fr. seárian to wither; akin to D. zoor dry, LG. soor, OHG. soren to to wither, Gr. sush) to dry, to wither, Zend hush to dry. sq. root152. Cf. Austere, Sorrel, a.] Dry; withered; no longer green; -- applied to leaves. Milton. I have lived long enough; my way of life Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf. Shak.

Additional senses

  1. 2.Dry; withered. Same as Sear. But with its sound it shook the sails That were so thin and sere. Coleridge.
  2. 3.Claw; talon. [Obs.] Chapman.

Sources