servant

English

Alternative forms

• servaunt, servand (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English servaunt, from Old French servant, from the present participle of the verb servir. Doublet of sergeant and servient. Morphologically serve +‎ -ant. Displaced native Old English þeġn.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜːvənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝvənt/, [ˈsɝvn̩ʔ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)vənt

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, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:

     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.

3. (religion) A person who dedicates themselves to God.
4. (obsolete) A professed lover.
5. A person of low condition or spirit.

Derived terms

• assigned servant
• body servant
• captain's servant
• civil servant
• covenanted servant
• domestic servant
• even-servant
• eye-servant
• fire is a good servant but a bad master
• indentured servant
• maid-servant
• maidservant
• manservant
• public servant
• servantless
• servantlike
• servantly
• servant out of livery
• woman servant
• your servant

 

Translations

one who is hired to perform regular household or other duties, and receives compensation

• Aghwan: 𐔱𐔰𐕅𐔱𐔰𐕍𐔰𐔾 (bal'baq̇al)
• Albanian: shërbyes (sq) m, shërbyese (sq) f
• Amharic: ሎሌ m (lole)
• Arabic: خَادِم m (ḵādim), خَادِمَة f (ḵādima), خَدَم pl (ḵadam)

  Egyptian Arabic: خدام m (ḵaddām), خدامة f (ḵaddāma)

• Armenian: ծառա (hy) (caṙa), սպասավոր (hy) (spasavor)
• Aromanian: dul m, huzmichear m, shcljau m
• Azerbaijani: qulluqçu (az), nökər (az), xidmətçi (az)
• Bashkir: хеҙмәтсе (xeźmətse)
• Belarusian: слуга́ m (sluhá), служа́нка f (služánka), прыслу́жнік m (pryslúžnik), прыслу́жніца f (pryslúžnica), слу́жка m or f (slúžka)
• Bengali: নোকর (nōkor), চাকর (bn) (cakor)
• Bole: buda
• Breton: servijour m, servijourez f
• Bulgarian: слуга́ (bg) m (slugá), слуги́ня f (slugínja), прислу́жник (bg) m (prislúžnik), прислу́жница f (prislúžnica), служи́тел (bg) m (služítel), служи́телка f (služítelka)
• Burmese: အစေအပါး (my) (a.cea.pa:)
• Catalan: servent (ca) m, criat (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 僕人／仆人 (zh) (púrén), 傭人／佣人 (zh) (yōngrén), 奴僕／奴仆 (zh) (núpú), 奴役 (zh) (núyì)

• Cimbrian: diinar m, diinaren f
• Coptic: ⲃⲱⲕ m (bōk)
• Czech: sluha (cs) m, služka (cs) f, služebný m
• Danish: tjener (da) c
• Dutch: hulp (nl), hulpje (nl), huishoudhulp (nl), bediende (nl), knecht (nl) m, meid (nl) f, dienaar (nl) m
• Egyptian: (bꜣk m), (bꜣkt f)
• Erzya: вардо m (vardo), варданка f (vardanka)
• Estonian: teenija, sulane
• Finnish: palvelija (fi)
• French: domestique (fr) m or f, servante (fr) f, serviteur (fr) m (archaic)
• Friulian: sierf m, famei m, servidôr m
• Galician: servente (gl) m, criado m
• Georgian: მსახური (msaxuri)
• German: Diener (de) m, Dienerin (de) f, Lakai (de) m, Kammerdiener (de) m, Zofe (de) f, Bediensteter (de) m, Bediener m, Dienstbote (de) m; (rural) Knecht (de) m, Magd (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐍃 m (þius), 𐌸𐌹𐍅𐌹 f (þiwi), 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 m (andbahts)
• Greek: υπηρέτης (el) m (ypirétis)

  Ancient: θεράπων m (therápōn), θεράπαινα f (therápaina)

• Hausa: yaro
• Hebrew: מְשָׁרֵת (he) m (mesharét)
• Higaonon: kabulig
• Hindi: नौकर (hi) m (naukar), चाकर (hi) m (cākar), नौकरानी (hi) f (naukrānī), सेवक (hi) m (sevak), भृत्य (hi) m (bhŕtya), मुलाज़िम m (mulāzim)
• Hungarian: szolga (hu), cseléd (hu) (female)
• Icelandic: þjónn (is) m
• Indonesian: pembantu (id)
• Irish: seirbhíseach m, searbhónta m
• Italian: servo (it) m, servitore (it) m, domestico (it) m, famiglio (it) m
• Japanese: 使用人 (ja) (しようにん, shiyōnin), 召使い (ja) (めしつかい, meshitsukai)
• Javanese: réwang, réncang
• Kazakh: даяшы (daäşy), малай (malai), қызметші (qyzmetşı) (also figuratively)
• Khmer: អ្នកបំរើ (nĕək bɑmraə), សេវកៈ (km) (seevaʼkaʼ), បាវ (km) (baaw) (female), ព្រាវ (km) (priəw)
• Korean: 하인(下人) (ko) (hain), 머슴 (ko) (meoseum), 사용인(使用人) (ko) (sayong'in)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: benî (ku), kole (ku), noker (ku)

• Kyrgyz: кызматчы (ky) (kızmatcı), кул (ky) (kul), малай (ky) (malay)
• Lao: ຂະຍົມ (kha nyom), ຂ້າ (lo) (khā), ບ່າວ (bāo)
• Latin: minister m, ministra f, famulus m, famula f
• Latvian: kalps m, kalpone f, sulains m
• Lithuanian: tarnas m
• Macedonian: слу́га m (slúga), слу́жител m (slúžitel), служи́телка f (služítelka)
• Malay: hamba (ms), khadam
• Maltese: qaddej m, seftur m
• Maore Comorian: mutru wa hazi class 1/2
• Maori: hāwini, tūmau
• Middle English: serjaunt, servaunt
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: зарц (mn) (zarc)

  Mongolian: ᠵᠠᠷᠤᠴᠠ (ǰaruča)

• Navajo: naalʼaʼí
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tjener (no) m

• Occitan: sirvent (oc) m
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: слоуга m (sluga), слоужитель m (služitelĭ)

• Old Czech: sluha m
• Old East Slavic: слуга m (sluga)
• Old English: þeġn m
• Ottoman Turkish: اوشاق (uşak), خدمتجی (hizmetçi); عیواض (ʼayvaz) (cook-servant in large mansions)
• Pali: sevaka m
• Pashto: خدمتګار m (xedmatgār), نوکر (ps) m (nokár), خادم (ps) m (xādém)
• Persian:

  Dari: خِدْمَتْکَار (fa) (xidmatkār), نَوْکَر (fa) (nawkar), خَادِم (fa) (xādim), چَاکَر (fa) (čākar), مُلَازِم (fa) (mulāzim)

  Iranian Persian: خِدْمَتْکار (fa) (xedmatkâr), نُوْکَر (fa) (nowkar), خادِم (fa) (xâdem), چاکِر (fa) (čâker), مُلازِم (fa) (molâzem)

• Plautdietsch: Deena m
• Polish: służący (pl) m pers, służąca (pl) f, sługa (pl) m
• Portuguese: empregado (pt) m, criado (pt) m, serviçal (pt) m or f
• Romanian: servitor (ro) m, slugă (ro) f, slujitor (ro) m
• Russian: слуга́ (ru) m (slugá), служа́нка (ru) f (služánka), прислу́жник (ru) m (prislúžnik), прислу́жница (ru) f (prislúžnica) (dated), служи́тель (ru) m (služítelʹ), служи́тельница (ru) f (služítelʹnica) (dated)
• Sanskrit: सेवक (sa) m (sevaka), सेविका (sa) f (sevikā), भृत्य (sa) m (bhṛtya)
• Scottish Gaelic: searbhanta m or f, seirbhiseach m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: слу́га m, слу̀жа̄вка f, слу̏шкиња f

  Roman: slúga (sh) m, slùžāvka (sh) f, slȕškinja (sh) f

• Sicilian: criatu (scn) m (mostly female), servu (scn) m
• Slovak: sluha m, slúžka f
• Slovene: služabnik (sl) m, služabnica f, sluga m, služkinja f
• Spanish: sirviente (es) m, criado (es) m, mozo (es) m, doméstico (es) m, empleado (es) m
• Swahili: mtumishi (sw)
• Swedish: betjänt (sv) c, tjänare (sv) c
• Tajik: хизматгор (tg) (xizmatgor), пешхизмат (pešxizmat), чокар (čokar), навкар (tg) (navkar)
• Tarifit: tayya f
• Tatar: хезмәтче (tt) (xezmätçe)
• Thai: ข้า (th) (kâa), บ่าว (th) (bàao), ภัจ (pát), คนรับใช้ (th) (kon-ráp-chái), เสวก (th) (sěe-wók), คนใช้ (th) (kon-chái), ภฤตย์ (th) (prʉ́t)
• Tibetan: བྲན་གཡོག (bran g.yog)
• Tigrinya: ከዳሚ m (kädami)
• Tocharian B: mañiye ? (male), mañiya ? (female)
• Turkish: hizmetçi (tr), uşak (tr), kul (tr)
• Turkmen: gullukçy, hyzmatkär, gul, çory f
• Ukrainian: слуга́ m (sluhá), служни́ця f (služnýcja)
• Urdu: نَوکَر m (naukar), چاکَر m (cākar), نَوکَرانی f (naukarānī), خادِم m (xādim), مُلازِم m (mulāzim)
• Uyghur: خىزمەتچى (xizmetchi), مالاي (malay)
• Uzbek: xizmatkor (uz), malay (uz)
• Venetan: servidór m, famegio m, besariòl m
• Vietnamese: đầy tớ (vi), người hầu (vi)
• Yiddish: דינסט n (dinst), קנעכט m (knekht), באַדינער m (badiner), באַדינערטע f (badinerte)

one who serves another, providing help in some manner

• Bactrian: βανδαγο (bandago)
• Catalan: servidor (ca) m
• Czech: služebník (cs) m
• Dutch: dienaar (nl) m, bediende (nl) m or f
• Finnish: palvelija (fi)
• French: serviteur (fr) m
• Galician: servidor (gl) m
• German: Helfer (de) m, Helferin (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 m (andbahts)
• Greek: υπηρέτης (el) m (ypirétis)

  Ancient: ὑπηρέτης m (hupērétēs)

• Indonesian: pelayan (id)
• Irish: seirbhíseach m, searbhónta m
• Latin: minister m
• Maori: wheteke
• Middle English: servaunt
• Portuguese: servente (pt) m or f
• Russian: служи́тель (ru) m (služítelʹ), служи́тельница (ru) f (služítelʹnica)
• Scottish Gaelic: searbhanta m or f, seirbhiseach m
• Spanish: servidor (es) m
• Swedish: tjänare (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} shërbëtor (sq) m
• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: ^{(please verify)} خدام m (khadam)

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} servisto
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} teener
• Ewe: ^{(please verify)} dɔla
• Haitian Creole: ^{(please verify)} sèvitè
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} नौकर (hi) m (naukar)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} szolga (hu), ^{(please verify)} cseléd (hu)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} servo (it) m, ^{(please verify)} servitore (it) m or f
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} نۆکەر (ckb) (noker), بەردەست (berdest), خزمەتکار (xizmetkar)

• Macedonian: ^{(please verify)} слуга m (sluga), ^{(please verify)} слугинка f (sluginka), ^{(please verify)} измеќар m (izmeḱar), ^{(please verify)} измеќарка f (izmeḱarka), ^{(please verify)} момок m (momok)
• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} servjent m, ^{(please verify)} rufjan m
• Old English: ^{(please verify)} þeġen m (1)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} servitor (ro) m, ^{(please verify)} slugă (ro) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} слу́га f, ^{(please verify)} слу̀жа̄вка f

  Roman: ^{(please verify)} slúga (sh) f, ^{(please verify)} slùžāvka (sh) f

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} sirviente (es) m or f, ^{(please verify)} criado (es) m, ^{(please verify)} criada (es) f
• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} utumishi (sw)
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} tagapaglingkod (tl)
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} సేవకుడు (te) (sēvakuḍu)
• Urdu: ^{(please verify)} نوکر m (naukar)

Verb

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

1. (obsolete, transitive) To subject.
   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     Wife, Mother, Child, I know not. My affaires
     Are Seruanted to others […]

References

• “servant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• starven, taverns, versant

French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French servant, a substantivized present participle of servir. Cf. also Latin serviens, and French sergent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛʁ.vɑ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ser‧vant

Participle

servant

1. present participle of servir

Noun

servant m (plural servants, feminine servante)

1. servant

Derived terms

• chevalier servant
• servant de messe

 

Related terms

• serveur
• serveuse

 

Further reading

• “servant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• versant

Latin

Verb

servant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of servō

Middle English

Noun

servant

1. Alternative form of servaunt

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

Verb

servant

1. present participle of servir

Adjective

servant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular servant or servante)

1. that serves; that fulfils a role

Noun

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

1. servant (one who serves)

Descendants

• French: servant
• → Middle English: servaunt
  • English: servant (dialectal sarvant)
  • Scots: servant, sairvant, servan