Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “servitor” come from?

Servitor comes from Middle English servitour, from Latin servitor, derived from the Latin verb servire, itself from servio, ultimately from Latin servus meaning slave, traced to Proto-Indo-European ser-.

servitor (English): One who performs the duties of a servant; One who...

Definitions

  1. One who performs the duties of a servant; One who...

Ancestry of “servitor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishservitour—
2Latinservītor—
3Frenchserveurwaiter; server
4Frenchservirto serve; to be used for; to be useful for...
5GermanservierenTo serve ; to wait
6Italianservireto serve; to need; to plate
7Spanishservirto serve; to be of use, to be good for; to help...
8Latinserviō—
9Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
10Proto-Italicserwosguardian
11Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
12Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “servitor”

  • servitorship
  • servitress
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →