serve
UK /sɜːv/ · US /sɝv/ verb, noun
Forms serves serving served
- verb (transitive) To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity.
- verb (transitive) To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by.
- verb (transitive) To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc.
- verb (intransitive, factive) To render service by being a servant, worker, employee, or officeholder; to hold those roles and perform their duties.
- verb (transitive) To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person.
- verb (transitive, archaic) To treat (someone) in a given manner.
- verb (transitive, archaic) To be suitor to; to be the lover of.
- verb (transitive) To be useful to; to meet the needs of.
- noun (sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games. “Whose serve is it?”
- noun (chiefly Australia) A portion of food or drink, a serving.
- noun (gay slang and African-American Vernacular) An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance). “That white eyeliner is such a serve.”
Synonyms
attend bestand wait on aid attend to await bestead dance attendance do do for service stay tend wait wait upon serving function help serve up dish out dish up dish serve well assist process swear out suffice answer
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self continuously or statedly for the benefit of; to do service for; to be in the employment of, as an inferior, domestic, serf, slave, hired assistant, official helper, etc.; specifically, in a religious sense, to obey and worship.
- verb To be subordinate to; to act a secondary part under; to appear as the inferior of; to minister to. Bodies bright and greater should not serve The less not bright.
- verb To be a servant or a slave; to be employed in labor or other business for another; to be in subjection or bondage; to render menial service.
- verb To perform domestic offices; to be occupied with household affairs; to prepare and dish up food, etc. But Martha . . . said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone Luke x. 40.
Etymology [OE. serven, servien, OF. & F. servir, fr. L. servire; akin to servus a servant or slave, servare to protect, preserve, observe; cf. Zend har to protect, haurva protecting. Cf. Conserve, Desert merit, Dessert, Observe, Serf, Sergeant.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “serve”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details