Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/serwos
Proto-Italic
editEtymology
editApparently from Proto-Indo-European *ser- + *-wos, but the exact sense of the root *ser- from which *serwos derives is uncertain. Either:
- “to bind”, in the sense “one who is bound (in duty/labor)”, or originally denoting a physical binding;
- “to guard”, thus perhaps originally meaning one whose job it is to protect. This seems to be the commonly favored sense;[1]
- “to plunder”, based on the assumption that the Latin sense of “slave” is original and those taken captive in war were converted to servants.
See *ser- for the various senses.
Noun
edit*serwos m
- guardian? (meaning uncertain)
Declension
edito-stemDeclension of *serwos (o-stem) | ||
---|---|---|
case | singular | plural |
nominative | *serwos | *serwōs, serwoi |
vocative | *serwe | *serwōs, serwoi |
accusative | *serwom | *serwons |
genitive | *serwosjo, serwī | *serwom |
dative | *serwōi | *serwois |
ablative | *serwōd | *serwois |
locative | *serwei | *serwois |
Derived terms
editDescendants
edit- Latin: servus (see there for further descendants)
References
edit- ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 559