Where does “servingmaid” come from?

servingmaid (English) comes from English serving, from English serve, from French servir, from German servieren, from Italian servire, from Spanish servir, from Latin serviō, from Latin servus — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

servingmaid (English): A female servant

Definitions

  1. A female servant

Ancestry of “servingmaid”, step by step

servingmaid traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English serving

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishservingThat or who serves or serve; The action of the...
2EnglishserveAn act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play...
3Frenchservirto serve; to be used for; to be useful for...
4Germanservierento serve (food); to wait (at table)
5Italianservireto serve; to need; to plate
6Spanishservirto serve; to be of use, to be good for; to help...
7Latinserviōto be a slave to; to serve
8Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
9Proto-Italicserwosguardian
10Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
11Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

via English maid

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmaidA girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden; A...
2Middle Englishmaydeyoung woman
3EnglishmaidenA girl or an unmarried young woman; A female...
4Middle Englishmaydenmaiden
5Old Englishmægdengirl; virgin, young unmarried woman
6Proto-West Germanicmagadīnlittle girl
7Proto-West Germanic-īnCreates adjectives from nouns with the sense...
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser-