Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “servile” come from?

Servile comes from Latin servilis, formed from the Proto-Indo-European root ser- meaning to serve, with the Latin suffix -ilis denoting a quality or characteristic.

servile (English): of or pertaining to a slave; submissive or...

Definitions

  1. of or pertaining to a slave; submissive or...

Ancestry of “servile”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishservyle—

Words derived from “servile”

  • servility
  • servilely
  • servilism
  • unservile
  • nonservile
  • servileness
Every word from Middle English servyle →