Etimology
From Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).
noun
serve (plural serves)
(sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
(chiefly Australia) A portion of food or drink, a serving.
(gay slang and African-American Vernacular) An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance).
Examples
Whose serve is it?
He had no power serve of his own, no backhand, no volley, no lob, no idea of pace or tactics.
The first serve of the game is from the right half court to the half diagonally opposite.
Against a serve of the calibre of McEnroe′s, an opponent will try to anticipate the ball′s direction and lean either to the left or to the right, depending on where he feels the server will go.
The night before your event, base your evening meal on high-carbohydrate foods with a small serve of lean protein.
Come here for a cappuccino that could hold its own on Via Veneto in Rome and a serve of their crunchy fresh cheese börek.
Reintroduce protein; add a small serve of salmon, tuna or sardines every second day .
Smirnoff Appleback was a finished drink, comprising a 50ml serve of Smirnoff, with ice and lemonade or ginger ale and equating to 1.9 units.
One serve of carbohydrates is approximately equal to a slice of bread, a piece of fruit, third of a cup of cooked rice, half a cup of grains, cereals, starchy vegetables or cooked pasta, 200 grams of plain yoghurt, or 300 millilitres of milk.
That white eyeliner is such a serve.
And, of course, there’s the video, which didn’t need to be such a serve since the song slapped so hard. But, it’s still iconic years later.
Taking a private jet in the middle of a pandemic is not the serve you think it is KenToya! What is a serve is the hazmat jumpsuit Marlo wears for the sprinter. Fashion x Covid Safety realness.
Related words
synonyms
(act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play): service
(portion of food): See serving
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "sports: act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play"): receive
verb
serve (third-person singular simple present serves, present participle serving, simple past and past participle served)
(personal) To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).
(transitive, archaic) To treat (someone) in a given manner. [from 13thc.]
(transitive, archaic) To be suitor to; to be the lover of. [from 14thc.]
To be effective.
(transitive, law) To deliver a document.
(transitive, intransitive, sports) To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc. [from 16thc.]
(transitive) To copulate with (of male animals); to cover. [from 16thc.]
(intransitive) To be in military service. [from 16thc.]
(transitive, military) To work, to operate (a weapon). [from 18thc.]
(transitive) To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence). [from 19thc.]
(nautical) To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.
(transitive) To perform (a public obligation).
(transitive, intransitive, slang, drugs) To provide crack cocaine (to), usually by selling, dealing, or distributing.
(gay slang and African-American Vernacular) To present an attractive personal appearance.
Examples
And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve.
And, truly, Mrs Abigail, I must needs say, I served my master contentedly while he was living, but I will serve no man living without double wages.
[…] his lordship was out of humour. That was the way Chollacombe described as knaggy an old gager as ever Charles had had the ill-fortune to serve.
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief, / They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief / But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad.
They also serve who only stand and wait.
About twenty minutes after waiters served the soup, a guest got up and left.
Herein thou haſt done good ſeruice to thy country:VVere all inhumaine ſlaues ſo ſerued as he,England would be ciuill, and from all ſuch dealings free.
I mock them all who have served me ill of late and chiefly this cheat of Judah, whose temple we have plundered and whose golden vessels are my wash-pots.
That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue.
So, while the sycophantic liberal media calls any and all opposition to Obama racist, they give Obama carte blanche to exploit his race whenever it serves his purpose.
The bust also served to remind the public that the Mafia is not harmless.
Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered, […].
Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. […]. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft.
Maybe the volcanic eruption will serve as a wake-up call to such companies that they need to modernise their risk management.
On the morning of February 28, 1993, ATF agents gathered at a staging area near Waco and prepared to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidians' residence.
a document served on the tenant
to serve a witness with a subpoena
In women's tennis the need to serve more effectively has become greater in recent years because the game is being played more aggressively, and rallies are becoming shorter as a result.
Conception means that a cow is served by a bull and that she becomes pregnant.
Some reports suggested he would quit the army if he was not allowed to serve abroad in a war zone.
John T. Greble, of the 2d regular artillery, was likewise killed instantly by a ball through the head, while serving his gun in the face of the foe.
The Guangzhou Daily reported that Shi Chunlong, 20, who organised the incident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hou Bin, who pulled out of the attack after helping to plan it, will serve 12 years.
I've received a summons for jury duty. It says I serve one day or one trial.
She served the office of mayor five years ago.
Once I began selling crack, money was no issue. I would be out 2-3 days at a time, up for 24 hours a day. It was a full time job, serving crack fiends.
Tim told her that she could make a little money on the side by serving crack-cocaine.
They'd serve cocaine, and you'd sit there, and base this cocaine. And you'd have an ounce gone in 24 hours.
When crews like the Supreme Team saw the effect of the powerful new drug on users, they streamlined their own operation to serve crack only.
[…] Angela Bassett, serving for the gods in regal headdresses and flowing white dreadlocks as T'Challa's mother, […]
I feel the same way about Ashley Monroe too, who was her usual sweet self as she came through serving cleavage to the max.
Wearing an itty-bitty black bikini and mirror-like sunnies, she's serving face.
Serving Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! realness, and we’re into it.
Dior’s collection was serving major Bridgerton vibes, and I am definitely taking notes.
Related words
synonyms
(to be a servant to): attend, bestand, wait on; See also Thesaurus:serve
related terms
conserve
deserve
preserve
reserve
subserve