Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/serwos

This Proto-Italic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Italic

Etymology

Apparently from Proto-Indo-European *ser- +‎ *-wos, but the exact sense of the root *ser- from which *serwos derives is uncertain. Either:

• “to bind”, in the sense “one who is bound (in duty/labor)”, or originally denoting a physical binding;
• “to guard” (comparing Ancient Greek ῥύομαι (rhúomai)), thus perhaps originally meaning one whose job it is to protect. This seems to be the commonly favored sense;
• “to plunder”, based on the assumption that the Latin sense of “slave” is original and those taken captive in war were converted to servants.

See *ser- for the various senses.

Noun

*serwos m

1. guardian? (meaning uncertain)

Declension

Declension of *serwos (o-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	*serwos	*serwōs, serwoi
vocative	*serwe	*serwōs, serwoi
accusative	*serwom	*serwons
genitive	*serwosjo, serwī	*serwom
dative	*serwōi	*serwois
ablative	*serwōd	*serwois
locative	*serwei	*serwois

Derived terms

• *serw-ā-ō
• *serw-jō (4th-conjugation verb)
  • Latin: serviō
  • Umbrian: 𐌑𐌄𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌖 (seritu, 3sg. imperative)

Descendants

• Latin: servus (see there for further descendants)