Where does “serve” come from?
Serve comes from French servir, from Latin servire meaning "to serve," derived from Latin servus meaning "slave," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ser-.
serve (English): An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play...
Definitions
- An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play...
Ancestry of “serve”, step by step
serve traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French servir
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | servir | to serve; to be used for; to be useful for... |
| 2 | German | servieren | to serve (food); to wait (at table) |
| 3 | Italian | servire | to serve; to need; to plate |
| 4 | Spanish | servir | to serve; to be of use, to be good for; to help... |
| 5 | Latin | serviō | to be a slave to; to serve |
| 6 | Latin | servus | a servant; a serf; a slave |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | serwos | guardian |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ser-wo-s | guardian |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |
via Middle English serven
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | serven | to serve |