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servile. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
servile, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
servile in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
servile you have here. The definition of the word
servile will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
servile, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English servyle, from Old French servil, servile, from Latin servīlis, from servus (“slave”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
servile (comparative more servile, superlative most servile)
- Of or pertaining to a slave.
c. 1699 – 1703, Alexander Pope, “The First Book of Statius His Thebais”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: W Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, , published 1717, →OCLC:Even fortune rules no more, O servile land!
- Slavish or submissive.
- Synonym: abject
- Antonyms: arrogant, authoritarian
servile flattery servile obedience
- (grammar) Not belonging to the original root.
a servile letter
- (grammar) Not sounded, but serving to lengthen the preceding vowel, like the e in tune.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
of or pertaining to a slave
slavish or submissive
- Armenian:
- Old Armenian: ցած (cʻac)
- Bulgarian: сервилен (bg) (servilen), раболепен (bg) (rabolepen)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 低三下四 (zh) (dīsānxiàsì)
- Finnish: alamainen (fi), orjallinen (fi), orjamainen (fi)
- Galician: servil m or f
- German: sklavisch, unterwürfig, servil (de), hündisch
- Greek: δουλικός (el) (doulikós)
- Irish: moghach, uiríseal
- Italian: servile (it), adulatore (it) m, leccapiedi (it)
- Japanese: 卑屈な (ja) (hikutsu na)
- Latin: humilis, obnoxius, vernīlis
- Middle English: serviable, servisable
- Plautdietsch: dommbleed
- Polish: lokajski (pl), niewolniczy (pl), uniżony
- Portuguese: servil (pt)
- Russian: подобостра́стный (ru) (podobostrástnyj), раболе́пный (ru) (rabolépnyj), холо́пский (ru) (xolópskij)
- Spanish: servil (es)
- Swedish: servil (sv), devot (sv), fjäskig (sv), underdånig (sv)
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Noun
servile (plural serviles)
- (grammar) An element which forms no part of the original root.
- A slave; a menial.
Antonyms
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin servīlis.
Pronunciation
Adjective
servile (plural serviles)
- servile, slavish, subservient
Related terms
Further reading
Anagrams
Italian
Etymology
From Latin servīlis.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /serˈvi.le/
- Rhymes: -ile
- Hyphenation: ser‧vì‧le
Adjective
servile (plural servili)
- servile
Derived terms
Related terms
Latin
Pronunciation
Adjective
servīle
- nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of servīlis
See also
Middle English
Adjective
servile
- Alternative form of servyle
Spanish
Verb
servile
- second-person singular voseo imperative of servir combined with le