servant

EnglishEdit

servant on Wikipedia

Alternative formsEdit

servaunt, servand (obsolete)

EtymologyEdit

From Old French servant, from the present participle of the verb servir. Doublet of sergeant and servient.

PronunciationEdit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜːvənt/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝvənt/, [ˈsɝvn̩ʔ]
Audio (US)
(file)

NounEdit

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 5661828:
  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.
(dated) A professed lover.
A person of low condition or spirit.

Derived termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

one who is hired to perform regular household or other duties, and receives compensation

Albanian: shërbyes (sq) m, shërbyese (sq) f
Amharic: ሎሌ m (lole)
Arabic: خَادِم‎ m (ḵādim), خَادِمَة‎ f (ḵādima), خَدَم‎ pl (ḵadam)
Egyptian Arabic: خدام‎ m (ḵaddām), خدامة‎ f (ḵaddāma)
Armenian: ծառա (hy) (caṙa), սպասավոր (hy) (spasavor)
Aromanian: dul m, huzmichear m, shcljau m
Azerbaijani: qulluqçu (az), nökər (az), xidmətçi (az)
Bashkir: хеҙмәтсе (xeðmätse)
Belarusian: слуга́ m (sluhá), служа́нка f (služánka), прыслу́жнік m (pryslúžnik), прыслу́жніца f (pryslúžnica), слу́жка m or f (slúžka)
Bengali: নোকর (nokôr), চাকর (cakôr)
Bole: buda
Breton: servijour m, servijourez f
Bulgarian: слуга́ (bg) m (slugá), прислу́жник (bg) m (prislúžnik), прислу́жница f (prislúžnica), служи́тел (bg) m (služítel), служи́телка f (služítelka)
Burmese: အစေအပါး (my) (a.cea.pa:)
Catalan: servent (ca) m, criat (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 僕人 (zh), 仆人 (zh) (púrén), 傭人 (zh), 佣人 (zh) (yōngrén), 奴僕 (zh), 奴仆 (zh) (núpú), 奴役 (zh) (núyì)
Cimbrian: diinar m, diinaren f
Czech: sluha (cs) m, služebný m, služka (cs) f
Danish: tjener (da) c
Dutch: hulp (nl), hulpje (nl), huishoudhulp, bediende (nl), knecht (nl) m, meid (nl) f, dienaar (nl) m
Egyptian:

(bꜣk m),

(bꜣkt f)
Erzya: вардо m (vardo), варданка f (vardanka)
Estonian: teenija, sulane
Finnish: palvelija (fi)
French: serviteur (fr) m, domestique (fr) m or f, servante (fr) f
Friulian: sierf m, famei m, servidôr m
Galician: servente (gl) m, criado m
Georgian: მსახური (msaxuri)
German: Diener (de) m, Dienerin (de) f, Lakai (de) m, Kammerdiener (de) m, Zofe (de) f, Bediensteter (de) m, Bediener m, Dienstbote (de) m; (rural) Knecht (de) m, Magd (de) f
Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 m (andbahts)
Greek: υπηρέτης (el) m (ypirétis)
Ancient: θεράπων m (therápōn), θεράπαινα f (therápaina)
Hausa: yaro (ha)
Hebrew: מְשָׁרֵת‎ (he) m (m'sharét)
Hindi: नौकर (hi) m (naukar), चाकर (hi) m (cākar), नौकरानी (hi) f (naukrānī), सेवक (hi) m (sevak), भृत्य (hi) m (bhŕtya), मुलाज़िम m (mulāzim)
Hungarian: szolga (hu), cseléd (hu) (female)
Icelandic: þjónn (is) m
Indonesian: pembantu (id)
Irish: seirbhíseach m, searbhónta m
Italian: servo (it) m, servitore (it) m, domestico (it) m, famiglio (it) m
Japanese: 使用人 (しようにん, shiyōnin), 召使い (めしつかい, meshitsukai)
Javanese: réwang, réncang
Kazakh: даяшы (kk) (dayaşı), малай (malay), қызметші (kk) (qızmetşi) (also figuratively)
Khmer: អ្នកបំរើ (nĕək bɑmraə), សេវកៈ (km) (seevaʼkaʼ), បាវ (km) (baaw) (female), ព្រាវ (km) (priəw)
Korean: 하인 (ko) (hain), 머슴 (ko) (meoseum)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: benî (ku), kole (ku), noker (ku)
Kyrgyz: кызматчы (ky) (kızmatçı), кул (ky) (kul), малай (ky) (malay)
Lao: ຂະຍົມ (kha nyom), ຂ້າ (lo) (khā), ບ່າວ (bāo)

Latin: minister m, ministra f, famulus m, famula f
Latvian: kalps m, sulains m
Lithuanian: tarnas m
Macedonian: слуга m (sluga), служител m (služitel), служителка f (služitelka)
Malay: hamba (ms), khadam
Maltese: ħaddiem m
Maore Comorian: mutru wa hazi 1 or 2
Maori: hāwini, tūmau
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: зарц (mn) (zarts)

Uyghurjin: ᠵᠠᠷᠤᠴᠠ (ǰaruča)
Navajo: naalʼaʼí
Norwegian:
Bokmål: tjener (no) m
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: слоуга m (sluga), слоужитель m (služitelĭ)
Old East Slavic: слуга m (sluga)
Old English: þeġn m
Pali: sevaka m
Pashto: خدمتګار‎ m (xedmatgār), نوکر‎ (ps) m (nokár), خادم‎ (ps) m (xādém)
Persian: خدمتکار‎ (fa) (hedmatkâr), نوکر‎ (fa) (nokar), خادم‎ (fa) (xâdem)
Plautdietsch: Deena m
Polish: służący (pl) m pers, służąca (pl) f, sługa (pl) m
Portuguese: empregado (pt) m, criado (pt) m, serviçal (pt) m or f
Romanian: servitor (ro) m, slugă (ro) f, slujitor (ro) m
Russian: слуга́ (ru) m (slugá), служа́нка (ru) f (služánka)
Sanskrit: सेवक (sa) m (sevaka), सेविका (sa) f (sevikā), भृत्य (sa) m (bhṛtya)
Scottish Gaelic: searbhanta m or f, seirbhiseach m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: слу́га m, слу̀жа̄вка f, слу̏шкиња f

Roman: slúga (sh) m, slùžāvka (sh) f, slȕškinja (sh) f
Sicilian: criatu (scn) m (mostly female), servu (scn) m
Slovak: sluha m, slúžka f
Slovene: služabnik (sl) m, služabnica f, sluga m, služkinja f
Spanish: sirviente (es) m, criado (es) m, mozo (es) m, doméstico (es) m, empleado (es) m
Swahili: mtumishi (sw)
Swedish: betjänt (sv) c, tjänare (sv) c
Tajik: хизматгор (tg) (xizmatgor), пешхизмат (pešxizmat), чокар (čokar), навкар (navkar)
Tatar: хезмәтче (tt) (xezmätçe)
Thai: ข้า (th) (kâa), บ่าว (th) (bàao), ภัจ (pát), คนรับใช้ (kon-ráp-chái), เสวก (th) (sěe-wók), คนใช้ (th) (kon-chái), ภฤตย์ (th) (prʉ́t)
Tibetan: བྲན་གཡོག (bran g.yog)
Tigrinya: ከዳሚ m (kädami)
Tocharian B: mañiye ? (male), mañiya ? (female)
Turkish: hizmetçi (tr), uşak (tr), kul (tr)
Turkmen: gullukçy, hyzmatkär
Ukrainian: слуга́ m (sluhá), служни́ця f (služnýcja)
Urdu: نوکر‎ m (naukar), چاکر‎ m (cākar), نوکرانی‎ f (naukrānī), خادم‎ m (xādim), ملازم‎ m (mulāzim)
Uyghur: خىزمەتچى‎ (xizmetchi), مالاي‎ (malay)
Uzbek: xizmatkor (uz), malay (uz)
Venetian: servidór m, famegio m, besariòl m
Vietnamese: đầy tớ, người hầu
Yiddish: דינסט‎ n (dinst), קנעכט‎ m (knekht), באַדינער‎ m (badiner), באַדינערטע‎ f (badinerte)

one who serves another, providing help in some manner

Bactrian: βανδαγο (bandago)
Catalan: servidor (ca) m
Czech: služebník (cs) m
Dutch: dienaar (nl) m, bediende (nl) m or f
Finnish: palvelija (fi)
Galician: servidor (gl) m
German: Helfer (de) m, Helferin (de) f
Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 m (andbahts)
Greek: υπηρέτης (el) m (ypirétis)
Ancient: ὑπηρέτης m (hupērétēs)

Indonesian: pelayan (id)
Irish: seirbhíseach m, searbhónta m
Latin: minister m
Maori: wheteke
Portuguese: servente (pt) m or f
Russian: служи́тель (ru) m (služítelʹ), служи́тельница (ru) f (služítelʹnica)
Scottish Gaelic: searbhanta m or f, seirbhiseach m
Spanish: servidor (es) m
Swedish: tjänare (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Albanian: ^{(please verify)} shërbëtor (sq) m
Arabic:
Egyptian Arabic: ^{(please verify)} خدام‎ m (khadam)
Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} servisto
Estonian: ^{(please verify)} teener
Ewe: ^{(please verify)} dɔla
French: ^{(please verify)} domestique (fr), ^{(please verify)} serviteur (fr) m
Haitian Creole: ^{(please verify)} sèvitè
Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} עבד‎ (he) (eved)
Hindi: ^{(please verify)} नौकर (hi) m (naukar)
Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} szolga (hu), ^{(please verify)} cseléd (hu)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} servo (it) m, ^{(please verify)} servitore (it) m or f
Korean: ^{(please verify)} 하인 (ko) (hain)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} نۆکەر‎ (ku) (noker), بەردەست‎ (ku) (berdest), خزمەتکار‎ (xizmetkar)

Macedonian: ^{(please verify)} слуга m (sluga), ^{(please verify)} слугинка f (sluginka), ^{(please verify)} измеќар m (izmeḱar), ^{(please verify)} измеќарка f (izmeḱarka), ^{(please verify)} момок m (momok)
Maltese: ^{(please verify)} qaddej m, ^{(please verify)} qaddeja f, ^{(please verify)} servjent m, ^{(please verify)} servjenta f, ^{(please verify)} seftur m, ^{(please verify)} seftura f, ^{(please verify)} rufjan m, ^{(please verify)} rufjana f
Old English: ^{(please verify)} þeġen m (1)
Romanian: ^{(please verify)} servitor (ro) m, ^{(please verify)} slugă (ro) m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} слу́га f, ^{(please verify)} слу̀жа̄вка f

Roman: ^{(please verify)} slúga (sh) f, ^{(please verify)} slùžāvka (sh) f
Spanish: ^{(please verify)} sirviente (es) m or f, ^{(please verify)} criado (es) m, ^{(please verify)} criada (es) f
Swahili: ^{(please verify)} utumishi (sw)
Swedish: ^{(please verify)} betjänt (sv), ^{(please verify)} tjänare (sv) c, ^{(please verify)} tjänstefolk (sv) n, ^{(please verify)} hjon (sv) n
Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} tagapaglingkod (tl)
Telugu: ^{(please verify)} సేవకుడు (te) (sēvakuḍu)
Urdu: ^{(please verify)} نوکر‎ m (naukar)

VerbEdit

servant (third-person singular simple present servants, present participle servanting, simple past and past participle servanted)

(obsolete, transitive) To subject.
- c. 1608–1609, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act 5, scene 2]:
  Wife, Mother, Child, I know not. My affaires
  Are Seruanted to others […]

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for servant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)