Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “disserve” come from?

disserve (English) comes from Old French desservir, from Latin servīre, from Latin servus, from Proto-Italic serwos, from Proto-Indo-European ser-wo-s, from Proto-Indo-European ser- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

disserve (English): To treat poorly; to do a disservice to

Definitions

  1. To treat poorly; to do a disservice to

Ancestry of “disserve”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchdesservir—
2Latinservīre—
3Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
4Proto-Italicserwosguardian
5Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
6Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →