"fine cross-line as a finish at the top or bottom of a letter," an alternative spelling of serif (q.v.); also see sans-serif.
Entries linking to ceriph
serif n.
in typography, "fine cross-stroke put as a finish at the top and bottom of a letter," 1841, a letter-founder's word, earlier ceref (1827), also ceriph, seriph; see sans-serif.
sans-serif
also sanserif, "printing type without finishing cross-lines on the main strokes," 1830, from French sans "without" (see sans) + English serif (1841), earlier ceref (1827). This is perhaps from Dutch and Flemish schreef "a line, a stroke," a noun related to schrijven "to write," a Germanic borrowing from Latin scribere "to write" (from PIE root *skribh- "to cut"). OED finds the Dutch and Flemish word "fairly suits the sense and form; but historical evidence is wanting, and the quasi-French form of sans-ceriph is not accounted for." Short form sans is by 1927.