serve
/sɝv/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.85 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve."
- "And truly, Mrs. Abigal, I muſt needs ſay, I ſerv'd my Maſter contentedly, vvhile he vvas living; but I vvill ſerve no Man living (that is, no Man that is not living) vvithout double VVages."
- "[…]his lordship was out of humour. That was the way Chollacombe described as knaggy an old gager as ever Charles had had the ill-fortune to serve."
- "You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief, / They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief / But you're gonna have to serve somebody."
- "That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad."
- "They also serve who only stand and wait."
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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /sɝv/
- British English: /sɜːv/