Etymologically
Log in

servo

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:58. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈsɛr.woː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɛr.vo][1]

Forms

servō (present infinitive servāre, perfect active servāvī, supine servātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is cognate with Umbrian seritu (“let him watch”) and Avestan haraiti (“watches, guards”).[2][3] By surface analysis it is servus with the verb suffix -ō, but Rix suggests it began as a denominative of an older noun *serwā or *serwom “watching, heed”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser-.[1] Old forms include ⟨servāssō⟩ for ⟨servāverō⟩ in Plautus and ⟨servāssis⟩ in a formula in Cato.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of watching over and keeping, and Ennius, of saving.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC and Ennius 204–169 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to watch over, guard, look after, to keep under observation, as Virgil's dum sīdera servat “while he watches the stars”, and dē caelō servāre, to watch the sky for omens.[2][6] Poets used it of staying in a place, keeping to a course.[2] It meant to keep, observe a law or custom, a time or a festival, to maintain an activity, and to keep in a certain condition.[2] It meant to preserve intact, keep perishable things, as in Cato, keep possession of, reserve, store, and to save from death or danger, as in Ennius, also in prayers.[2] In law it meant to recover money lent, as in Cicero.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to watch, observe, keep, preserve, reserve, save.[7] It survives in Italian servare, serbare and Romanian serba.[1] Its compounds cōnservāre, observāre, reservāre and Late Latin praeservāre are the sources of English conserve, English observe, English reserve and English preserve.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of watching over and keeping.[2][5]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it of saving and storing.[2][5]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of preserving perishable things.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of recovering money.[2][5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To watch over, guard, look after.[2]
  2. To watch, observe, dē caelō servāre, to watch for omens.[2]
  3. To stay in a place; to keep to a course.[2]
  4. To keep, observe a law, custom or festival.[2]
  5. To maintain, keep up; to keep in a condition.[2]
  6. To preserve; to keep, retain; to reserve, store.[2]
  7. To save from death or danger.[2]
  8. (law) To recover money lent.[2]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Walde, Alois (1906), Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com