Skip to the word

Added 7 October 2026

service

/ˈsɜː.vɪs/ noun

In Latin: servitium Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about service at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Work done by one person or group that benefits another.
budget separately for goods and services
An act of help or assistance.
he did them a service
The act of public worship following prescribed rules.
the Sunday service

verb

Be used by; as of a utility.
The sewage plant served the neighboring communities
Make fit for use.
service my truck
Mate with.
male animals serve the females for breeding purposes

Origin

From Middle English servise, from Old English serfis, from Old French servise (French service), from the verb servir, from Latin servitium (compare Portuguese serviço, Italian servizio, Norman sèrvice, Spanish servicio), from servus (“servant; serf; slave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser-wo-s (“guardian”), possibly from *ser- (“watch over, protect”). Displaced native Old English þeġnung.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word