Serrated means having a jagged, sawlike edge with a row of small, sharp teeth. If you run your finger carefully along a serrated knife, you'll feel the tiny points going up and down like miniature mountains. A serrated blade cuts differently than a smooth blade: instead of slicing straight through, those little teeth grab and tear at what you're cutting.

You've probably used a serrated knife to cut bread. The teeth grip the crust without crushing the soft inside, sawing through cleanly. Steak knives are often serrated to cut through meat more easily. Some scissors have serrated edges for cutting fabric or cardboard.

The word comes from the Latin serra, meaning “saw,” and you can see why: serrated edges look like tiny saws. Nature uses serrated edges too. Many leaves have serrated edges, with small teeth around the rim that help water drip off efficiently.

When you see something described as serrated, picture those small, regular teeth along the edge, designed to grip and cut rather than slice smoothly.