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Definition serve

Etymology

From Middle English serven, from Middle French servir, from Old French, from Latin servi? (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names ????? (Servi), ????? (Serve)).

Noun

serve (plural serves)

1. (sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
2. (chiefly Australia) A portion of food or drink, a serving.

Verb

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

1. (personal) To provide a service.
   1. (transitive) To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity. [from 12c.]
   2. (transitive) To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by. [from 13c.]
   3. (transitive) To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc. [from 13c.]
   4. (intransitive) To be a servant or worker; to perform the duties of a servant or employee; to render service. [from 14c.]
   5. (transitive) To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person. [from 15c.]
2. (transitive, archaic) To treat (someone) in a given manner. [from 13c.]
3. (transitive, archaic) To be suitor to; to be the lover of. [from 14c.]
4. To be effective.
   1. (transitive) To be useful to; to meet the needs of. [from 14c.]
   2. (intransitive) To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something. [from 14c.]
   3. (intransitive) To usefully take the place as, instead of something else. [from 14c.]
5. (transitive, law) To deliver a document.
   1. To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.). [from 15c.]
   2. To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)
6. (transitive, intransitive, sports) To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc. [from 16c.]
7. (transitive) To copulate with (of male animals); to cover. [from 16c.]
8. (intransitive) To be in military service. [from 16c.]
9. (transitive, military) To work, to operate (a weapon). [from 18c.]
10. (transitive) To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence). [from 19c.]
11. (nautical) To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.
12. (transitive) To perform (a public obligation).
13. (transitive, intransitive, slang, drugs) To provide crack cocaine (to), usually by selling, dealing, or distributing.

Results 371 Words with the letters SERVE

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