Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “serving” come from?

Serving comes from English serve, from French servir, from Latin servire meaning "to be a slave or servant," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ser-.

serving (English): That or who serves or serve; The action of the...

Definitions

  1. That or who serves or serve; The action of the...

Ancestry of “serving”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishserveAn act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play...
2Frenchservirto serve; to be used for; to be useful for...
3GermanservierenTo serve ; to wait
4Italianservireto serve; to need; to plate
5Spanishservirto serve; to be of use, to be good for; to help...
6Latinserviō—
7Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
8Proto-Italicserwosguardian
9Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
10Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “serving”

  • nonserving
  • self-serving
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →