served
English meaning: Served
Definition
(personal) To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).
Example
“The waiter served the soup before the main course.”
Another example: “He served three years in the army before going to university.”
Usage — When, Where & How
The past tense of 'serve', used across general, hospitality, sport, military and legal English: to provide food/service ('served dinner'), to hold a role ('served as mayor'), to spend time ('served a sentence'), or to hit in tennis. Neutral register.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Latin 'servire' ('to serve, be a slave to'), from 'servus' ('slave'), via Old French 'servir', from the 13th century.
Related Words
- delegate
- deputy
- trustee
- treasurer
- chairman
- advisor
- clerk
- counsel
- ambassador
- assistant
Common Collocations
- served as
- served dinner
- served time
- well served
- served on the board
- served a sentence
Word Forms
serve (v); serves; served; serving; server (n); service (n)
Word Tools
Tools & Calculators
15% of 200 = 30 · 15 is 7.5% of 200
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B