servant
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English servaunt, from Old French servant, from the present participle of the verb servir. Doublet of sergeant and servient. Morphologically serve + -ant. Displaced native Old English þeġn.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsɜːvənt/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈsɝvənt/, [ˈsɝvn̩ʔ]
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)vənt
Noun edit
servant (plural servants)
- One who is hired to perform regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. As opposed to a slave.
- There are three servants in the household, the butler and two maids.
- 1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:
- As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish, but I would not go out of my way to protest against it. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. I would very gladly make mine over to him if I could.
- One who serves another, providing help in some manner.
- She is quite the humble servant, the poor in this city owe much to her but she expects nothing.
- (religion) A person who dedicates themselves to God.
- (obsolete) A professed lover.
- A person of low condition or spirit.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
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Verb edit
servant (third-person singular simple present servants, present participle servanting, simple past and past participle servanted)
- (obsolete, transitive) To subject.
- c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
- Wife, Mother, Child, I know not. My affaires
Are Seruanted to others […]
References edit
- “servant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Anagrams edit
French edit
Etymology edit
From Middle French, from Old French servant, a substantivized present participle of servir. Cf. also Latin serviens, and French sergent.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Participle edit
servant
Noun edit
servant m (plural servants, feminine servante)
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “servant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams edit
Latin edit
Verb edit
servant
Middle English edit
Noun edit
servant
- Alternative form of servaunt
Norwegian Bokmål edit
Noun edit
servant m (definite singular servanten, indefinite plural servanter, definite plural servantene)
Synonyms edit
Norwegian Nynorsk edit
Noun edit
servant m (definite singular servanten, indefinite plural servantar, definite plural servantane)
Synonyms edit
Old French edit
Verb edit
servant
Adjective edit
servant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular servant or servante)
- that serves; that fulfils a role
Noun edit
servant oblique singular, m (oblique plural servanz or servantz, nominative singular servanz or servantz, nominative plural servant)
- servant (one who serves)