Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “asservir” come from?

asservir (French) comes from French serf, from Middle French serf, from Old French serf, from Latin servus, from Proto-Italic serwos, from Proto-Indo-European ser-wo-s, from Proto-Indo-European ser- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

asservir (French): to enslave

Definitions

  1. to enslave

Ancestry of “asservir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchserfa serf; being or like a serf, semifree
2Middle Frenchserfserf
3Old Frenchserfserf; first-person singular present indicative of...
4Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
5Proto-Italicserwosguardian
6Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
7Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “asservir”

  • asservissement
  • asservisseur
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →