servitore

Forms

servitore m (plural servitori, feminine servitrice)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin servītōrem, the accusative of the Late Latin agent noun of Latin servīre (“to serve”).^[2][3][1][4] The Latin noun is formed servus (“slave”) with the suffix -tor, and the verb itself is derived from the same noun.^[1][5][2]

The old variant Old Italian servidore, with ⟨-d-⟩, is of Provençal origin according to DEI, spread through the language of the troubadours.^[6] Sabatini–Coletti explains its voiced /d/ the same way, as the softening of the consonant in the Gallo-Romance speech of the troubadours.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in a poem of the Sicilian school by Re Giovanni, before 1250, in the sense “one who serves in a private household”.^[8][3] DEI dates the form servidore to the 13th century and servitore to the 14th.^[6]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word was used of the courtly lover, a servant of his lady: Devoto–Oli quotes Boccaccio, nella sua grazia e servidore a lei (“in her favour and her servant”).^[9][10] The GDLI lists the old forms servedore, servidore and serveture.^[11] From the domestic servant the word passed to anyone devoted to a person or cause, a servitore dello Stato, and to the formula of courtesy that closed letters, suo devotissimo servitore.^[3][12][10]

DEI records the collective servitorame (16th century) and servitoresco (19th century). In the 19th century the word also became the name for a coat stand or small serving table, a piece of furniture that “serves”.^[6][7] Today the word sounds old-fashioned for a household worker, replaced by domestico or cameriere, and is often scornful.^[9][7][12]

Timeline

• Before 1250 – Re Giovanni uses servitore for a household servant.^[8][3]
• 13th century – The form servidore is recorded.^[6]
• 14th century – Boccaccio's Decameron uses servidore.^[10]
• 16th century – DEI dates servitorame, the body of servants.^[6]
• 19th century – Servitoresco and the sense “coat stand, small table” are recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated) A servant in a private household, doing housework or looking after the master's person; now often scornful: mica devo farti da servitore! (I'm not here to wait on you!).^[3][9][7]
2. One who serves a person, a cause or an institution with devotion: un fedele servitore dello Stato.^[3][7]
3. (dated) In formulas of courtesy closing a letter: suo devotissimo servitore (your most devoted servant).^[3][10]
4. A movable piece of furniture such as a coat stand or a small serving table, as in servitore muto: a dumbwaiter.^[7][3][6]

Word family

• servitorame
• servitoresco
• servitorume

Related words

• servire
• servo
• servizio
• servitù
• Latin servitor

Usage notes

The feminine is servitora, in literary use servitrice.^[9][7][12] The old form servidore is literary or archaic.^[7][12]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
8. ^ a b Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
9. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
10. ^ a b c d Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 18, 776
12. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)