Etymology Explorer › Italian

Where does “serva” come from?

serva (Italian) comes from Latin serva, 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.

serva (Italian): slave; servant, maid; feminine singular of servo

Definitions

  1. slave; servant, maid; feminine singular of servo

Ancestry of “serva”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinservaa female slave; second-person singular present...
2Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
3Proto-Italicserwosguardian
4Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
5Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →