Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “underserved” come from?

Underserved derives from English served combined with the prefix under-, from Middle English under-, Old English under-, Proto-Germanic under, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European n̥dʰér and h₁en.

underserved (English): Underresourced; not having sufficient service;...

Definitions

  1. Underresourced; not having sufficient service;...

Ancestry of “underserved”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunderserveTo supply something with insufficient services or...
2EnglishserveAn act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play...
3Frenchservirto serve; to be used for; to be useful for...
4GermanservierenTo serve ; to wait
5Italianservireto serve; to need; to plate
6Spanishservirto serve; to be of use, to be good for; to help...
7Latinserviō—
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

Words derived from “underserved”

  • nonunderserved
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →