Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “servitor” come from?

servitor (Latin) comes from French serveur, from French servir, from German servieren, from Italian servire, from Spanish servir, from Latin serviō, from Latin servus, from Proto-Italic serwos — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

Ancestry of “servitor”, step by step

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