serve

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled sarve and sarved

US /sɝv/ UK /sɜːv/ See IPA manual

Freq #1517

Meanings

1

verb
To give people food or drink, especially at a meal or in a restaurant.

The restaurant serves meals to the homeless every evening.
2

verb
To work for a person, organization, or country, often in a useful role.

She served the company loyally for thirty years.
3

verb
To do military service.

He served two tours of duty overseas.
4

verb
To hit the ball to start a point in tennis or a similar game.

It was Agassi's turn to serve.
5

noun
The action of hitting the ball to begin a point in tennis or a similar game.

His powerful serves won the game.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to give people food or... dish

2 verb · to work for a person,... assist

5 noun · the action of hitting the... service

More aid attend awaitbestandbestead do stay tend wait

Opposites

govern order receive rule

Word family

Forms servedserves

Derived forms misservemultiserveoutserveoverserverail-servedre-serveself-serveself-servingservableservageserve-selfservee

Related forms attendant conserve deserve help preserve reserve subserve

Appears in

Phrases (5)

See all

serve dinner
to bring food to people at a table or at a formal event

Verb + noun
serve food
to bring food to people at a table or event

Verb + noun
serve the public
to work in a way that benefits ordinary people in society

Verb + noun
serve a cause
to work in dedication to a particular aim or purpose

Verb + noun
serve a client
to attend to and meet the needs of a client

Verb + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

serve someone right
used to say that someone deserves the unpleasant result they received

Proverbs (5)

See all

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”).

*ser- (guard) Proto-Indo-European serven Middle English servir Old French serviō Latin servus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# serve

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /sɝv/
**IPA (UK):** /sɜːv/
**Frequency rank:** 1517

## Meanings
1. To give people food or drink, especially at a meal or in a restaurant.
2. To work for a person, organization, or country, often in a useful role.
3. To do military service.
4. To hit the ball to start a point in tennis or a similar game.
5. The action of hitting the ball to begin a point in tennis or a similar game.

## Examples
- The restaurant serves meals to the homeless every evening.
- She served the company loyally for thirty years.
- He served two tours of duty overseas.
- It was Agassi's turn to serve.
- His powerful serves won the game.

## Synonyms
- aid
- attend
- await
- bestand
- bestead
- do
- service
- stay
- tend
- wait

## Antonyms
- govern
- order
- receive
- rule

## Derived Forms
- misserve
- multiserve
- outserve
- overserve
- rail-served
- re-serve
- self-serve
- self-serving
- servable
- servage
- serve-self
- servee

## Related Forms
- attendant
- conserve
- deserve
- help
- preserve
- reserve
- subserve

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ser- (guard)
- Root: serven
- Root: servir
- Root: serviō
- Root: servus

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Serve is 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”). Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *ser- (guard), Middle English serven, Old French servir, Latin serviō, Latin servus. In current use it includes senses such as To give people food or drink, especially at a meal or in a restaurant and To work for a person, organization, or country, often in a useful role.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown

serve

Meanings

Verb forms

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (5)

Idioms (1)

Proverbs (5)

Etymology

Topics

External links

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