English - Alternative Forms

• servaunt (obsolete)
• servand (obsolete)

English - Etymology

From Old French servant, from the present participle of the verb servir.

English - Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜːvənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝvənt/

English - Noun

servant (plural servants)

1. 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, George A. Birmingham, Gossamer, chapterI:

     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.

2. 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.

Derived terms

• assigned servant
• civil servant
• manservant
• maidservant
• public servant
• servantly

Translations

English - Verb

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

1. (obsolete) To subject.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

English - Anagrams

• taverns, versant

French - Verb

servant

1. Present participle of servir.

French - Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French, a substantivized present participle of servir.

French - Noun

servant m (plural servants, feminine servante)

1. servant

Related terms

• serveur, serveuse

French - Anagrams

• versant

French - External Links

• “servant” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin - Verb

servant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of servō

Middle English - Etymology

Old French servant, originally the present participle of servir

Middle English - Noun

servant (plural servants)

1. servant

Norwegian Bokmål - Noun

servant m (definite singular servanten, indefinite plural servanter, definite plural servantene)

1. a washbasin
2. a sink

Synonyms

• vask
• vaskeservant

Norwegian Nynorsk - Noun

servant m (definite singular servanten, indefinite plural servantar, definite plural servantane)

1. a washbasin
2. a sink

Synonyms

• vaskeservant

Old French - Etymology 1

Adjective

servant

1. that serves; that fulfils a role

Old French - Etymology 2

Substantivized present participle of servir.

Noun

servant m (oblique plural servanz or servantz, nominative singular servanz or servantz, nominative plural servant)

1. servant (one who serves)

Descendants

• English: servant (borrowed)
• French: servant

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