Contents

English

Wikipedia has an article on: Serve

Etymology

From Middle English serven < Middle French servir < Old French < Latin servire (“‘to be a slave, to serve’”) < Latin servus (“‘slave, servant’”), perhaps from Etruscan ; compare Etruscan proper names Servi, Serve.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

serve (plural serves)

  1. (sports) the act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games
    Whose serve is it?
  2. (US) A portion of food, a serving

Synonyms

Antonyms

Verb

to serve (third-person singular simple present serves, present participle serving, simple past and past participle served)

  1. (transitive) To work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self continuously or statedly for the benefit of; to do service for; to be in the employment of, as an inferior, domestic, serf, slave, hired assistant, official helper, etc.
  2. (transitive, religion) To obey and worship.
  3. (transitive) To be subordinate to; to act a secondary part under; to appear as the inferior of; to minister to.
  4. (transitive, obsolete) To be suitor to; to profess love to.
  5. (transitive) To wait upon; to supply the wants of; to attend; specifically, to wait upon at table; to attend at meals; to supply with food
    To serve customers in a shop.
  6. (transitive) To bring forward, arrange, deal, or distribute, as a portion of anything, especially of food prepared for eating; -- often with serve up; formerly with serve in.
  7. (transitive) To perform the duties belonging to, or required in or for; hence, to be of use to.
    A curate may serve two churches
    to serve one's country.
  8. (transitive) To contribute to or conduce to; to promote; to be sufficient for; to satisfy
    to serve one's turn.
  9. (transitive) To answer or be (in the place of something) to.
    A sofa serves one for a seat and a couch.
  10. (transitive, archaic) To treat; to behave one's self to; to requite; to act toward.
    He served me very ill.
  11. (transitive, obsolete) To work; to operate.
    to serve the guns.
  12. (transitive, law) To bring to notice, deliver, or execute, either actually or constructively, in such manner as the law requires
    to serve a summons.
  13. (transitive, law) To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.); as, to serve a witness with a subpoena.
    • 2008 Colloff, Pamela, The Fire That Time, Texas Monthly; Austin: Emmis Publishing, April 2008, p158:
      On the morning of February 28, 1993, ATF agents gathered at a staging area near Waco and prepared to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidians' residence.
  14. (transitive) To pass or spend, as time, especially time of punishment; as, to serve a term in prison.
  15. (transitive) To copulate with; to verb.
    A stallion serves a mare
  16. (transitive, intransitive, sports) To lead off with the first delivery (of the ball) over the net, as in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, etc.
    • 2007, Rob Antoun, Women's Tennis Tactics, page 2
      In women's tennis the need to serve more effectively has become greater in recent years because the game is being played more aggressively, and rallies are becoming shorter as a result.
  17. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To wind spun yarn, or the like, tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather. See under Serving.
  18. (intransitive) To be a servant or a slave; to be employed in labor or other business for another; to be in subjection or bondage; to render menial service.
  19. (intransitive) To perform domestic offices; to be occupied with household affairs; to prepare and dish up food, etc.
  20. (intransitive) To be in service; to do duty; to discharge the requirements of an office or employment. Specifically, to act in the public service, as a soldier, seaman. etc.
  21. (intransitive) To be of use; to answer a purpose; to suffice; to suit; to be convenient or favorable.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

to work for
  • Armenian: ծառայել hy(hy) (çaṙayel)
  • Czech: sloužit hr(hr)
  • Danish: tjene da(da)
to be subordinate to
  • Armenian: ծառայել hy(hy) (çaṙayel)
  • Danish: tjene da(da)
to be suitor to
to attend, supply the wants of
to bring forward, distribute
to perform duties
to contribute, promote
to answer or be (in the place of something) to
to treat; to behave one's self to
to work; to operate; as, to serve the guns
  • Finnish: käyttää fi(fi)
to bring to notice, deliver, or execute, either actually or constructively
  • Finnish: saattaa tietoon fi(fi)
to make legal service
to spend time of punishment
to copulate
  • Swedish: (especially of animals) betäcka sv(sv)
sports: to lead off with first delivery (of the ball)
  • Czech: podat hr(hr)
  • Finnish: syöttää fi(fi)
to wind spun yarn
  • Finnish: rihmata fi(fi)
to be a servant
to perform domestic offices
to be in service
to be of use

References

  1. ^ “serve” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001

Anagrams

French

Pronunciation

Verb form

serve

  1. First-person singular subjunctive present of servir
  2. Third-person singular subjunctive present of servir

Anagrams

Italian

Noun

serve f.

  1. Plural form of serva.

Verb

serve

  1. Third-person singular present tense of servire

Latin

Noun

serve m.

  1. vocative singular of servus

 

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'Serve' News
Windows Phone 7 Gains Remote Find And Kill - InformationWeek
informationweek.com
Windows Phone 7 Gains Remote Find And Kill - InformationWeek
Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:25:17 GMT+00:00
InformationWeek The Web site will serve as the place where Windows Phone 7 users can search the Zune Marketplace for music and videos, and search for XBox Live content. ... Microsoft Tips Cloud Storage, Kill Switch for Windows 7 Phones PC Magazine
Google News Search: serve,
Wed Jul 14 00:02:35 2010
'Serve' Images
Hoochie Mama BBQ Rub Single Serve Packet
sucklebusters.com
Hoochie Mama BBQ Rub Single Serve Packet
509px x 500px | 63.90kB

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Yahoo Images Search: serve,
Tue Jul 13 19:09:35 2010
'Serve' Blogs
Media News
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Media News

unknown

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:45:00 GM

Lunch: Alex McCord & Simon van Kempen . Serve. Up Some Tasty 'Real Housewives' Dish. 1003_lunch_100x​100.gif Just because The Real Housewives of New York City has wrapped doesn't mean the drama is over. Today at Michael's, we sat down with ...

Google Blogs Search: serve,
Thu Jun 24 07:18:32 2010
'Serve' Answers
How can I serve restraining order if the person will not answer door?
Q. I need to serve a restraining order on my ex within the next day or so. He is refusing to come to the door when anyone tries to serve it. Can I have the person that is serving it leave it in his mail box if he dosent come to the door or can they give it to his roommate?? What are the legal ways that I can serve him if he is refusing, I dont know where he works to serve it there. Well I had no time to go to the sheriffs office...This was done with a short time frame. Can I have a friend try and serve it and if he refuses to take it or come to the door, leave it in the mail box and tell the judge exactly what happened? Can that be valid
Asked by mojogirl127 - Sat Jul 29 16:32:58 2006 - - 14 Answers - 0 Comments

A. The police can serve him with it, and they should be the ones serving it on him anyway since it is a restraining order. If he doesn't get served with it, it is still valid, and if they mail it to him, then they can consider it served.
Answered by Julia L. - Sat Jul 29 16:36:31 2006

Yahoo Answers Search: serve,
Sun Jul 11 10:50:47 2010
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