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单词 servant
释义

servantn.

Brit. /ˈsəːv(ə)nt/, U.S. /ˈsərvənt/
Forms:

α. Middle English serfaunt, Middle English seruandezs (plural), Middle English seruandtzes (plural), Middle English seruandzes (plural), Middle English seruantezs (plural), Middle English seruanz (plural), Middle English seruaun, Middle English seruaunde, Middle English seruent, Middle English seruond (in a late copy), Middle English seruonde, Middle English seruons (plural), Middle English seruuaunt, Middle English seruuaunte, Middle English servande, Middle English servaunde, Middle English servawnt, Middle English servawnte, Middle English servond, Middle English serwand, Middle English serwant, Middle English serwante, Middle English serwaunt, Middle English siervaunt, Middle English siruand, Middle English–1500s seruans (plural), Middle English–1500s seruaund, Middle English–1500s servent, Middle English–1500s servont, Middle English–1500s siruant, Middle English 1600s seruand, Middle English–1600s seruande, Middle English–1600s seruant, Middle English–1600s seruante, Middle English–1600s seruaunt, Middle English–1600s seruaunte, Middle English–1600s servand, Middle English–1600s servante, Middle English–1600s servaunt, Middle English–1600s servaunte, Middle English– servant, late Middle English cervawnte, late Middle English seruanttes (plural), late Middle English seruaunth, late Middle English seruyent, late Middle English servaunce (plural), late Middle English servnt (transmission error), 1500s seriante, 1500s servavnt, 1500s serwonde, 1500s–1600s serviant, 1500s 1700s–1800s servunt (regional), 1900s– servan' (Irish English (northern)); Scottish pre-1700 schervand, pre-1700 scherwand, pre-1700 schirwand, pre-1700 serant (probably transmission error), pre-1700 seruand, pre-1700 seruande, pre-1700 seruant, pre-1700 seruaund, pre-1700 servand, pre-1700 servande, pre-1700 servanes (plural), pre-1700 servanse (plural), pre-1700 servantt, pre-1700 servaunt, pre-1700 serveand, pre-1700 serviand, pre-1700 serviant, pre-1700 serwand, pre-1700 serwant, pre-1700 serweand, pre-1700 serweant, pre-1700 serwent, pre-1700 sevandys (plural, transmission error), pre-1700 sirvand, pre-1700 survant, pre-1700 syrvant, pre-1700 1700s– servant, 1700s– servan, 1800s– servan', 1900s– sairvant; N.E.D. (1912) also records a form late Middle English servunt.

β. Middle English saruand- (inflected form), Middle English saruant- (inflected form), Middle English saruaunt- (inflected form), Middle English–1500s sarvaunt, Middle English–1600s (1700s– regional and nonstandard) sarvant, late Middle English saruaȝt (transmission error), 1500s saruant, 1500s saruante, 1500s saruaunt, 1500s sarvante, 1800s sarvent (Irish English), 1800s sarvint (Irish English); English regional 1700s–1900s sarvent, 1800s sahvent (Yorkshire), 1800s sarvint, 1800s zarvent (Berkshire); U.S. regional 1700s–1800s sarvent, 1800s sa'vent (in African-American usage), 1800s sarbant (southern, in African-American usage), 1800s sarvint, 1800s sarvunt, 1900s saa'bint (southern, in African-American usage), 1900s saa'bunt (southern, in African-American usage), 1900s– sahvant (in African-American usage); also Scottish pre-1700 saruand, pre-1700 sarvand, pre-1700 sarvant, pre-1700 sarvend, pre-1700 sarwand, pre-1700 sarwantt.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French servant.
Etymology: < Anglo-Norman servaunt, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French servant (French †servant ) person who serves or is devoted to God (c1050), person who is in the service of another, attendant (early 12th cent.), squire who serves a knight (late 12th cent.), person who is in bondage to another, slave (early 13th cent.), devoted lover (early 13th cent.), employee (13th cent.), in Anglo-Norman also foot soldier (late 14th cent. or earlier), use as noun of present participle of servir serve v.1 Compare slightly earlier sergeant n. (especially with sense 6a), and later servient n., server n.With forms in -and , -end (which are largely, but not exclusively, northern and Scots), compare -and suffix1. With Older Scots forms in sch- compare discussion at serve v.1 In modern French only the feminine servante servante n. has survived. In Anglo-Norman and Middle French the masculine noun could be applied to women as well as to men. Also attested early as a surname: Ad. le Serviant (1242), Felicia Servant , Johanne Servant (both 1379), etc., although the surname Serjant (compare sergeant n.) is much more frequent in Middle English.
1. A person who is engaged to attend or wait upon, or to obey the directions and meet the needs of, a particular person, or to perform specified tasks or functions in a particular household or establishment (whether owned by a particular person or not); a person who is in the service of another (cf. master n.1 2a, mistress n. 2b), or of a household; an attendant.Long the commonest sense of this word, and still likely to be understood in this sense when no other meaning is indicated by the context. In later use frequently with preceding modifying word, as domestic servant, farm servant, household servant, etc.: see the first element.A servant may be engaged as a paid employee, and/or in return for board and lodging or other remuneration in kind, or the engagement may be enforced by indentures or similar obligations. The obligations of a servant are generally understood to be less absolute than those of a slave, although in some contexts servant and slave may seem to be more or less interchangeable. See also sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > [noun]
servant?c1225
little man1685
Ribbonman1736
redcoat1848
α.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 314 Nanancre seruant ne achte birichte to asken iset hure.
c1300 in Hist. MSS Comm.: Rep. MSS Ld. Middleton (1911) 622 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 5567) XXVII. 1 A servant he hadde in is hous..En hure he byȝat a child in spousbruche.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 2560 Child haue i self nan, Bot mi seruand sun allan þat serues me, eleazar [L. filius procuratoris domus meae].
1433–4 in Hist. MSS Comm.: 10th Rep.: App. Pt. V: MSS Marquis of Ormonde &c. (1885) 295 in Parl. Papers (C. 4576-I) XLII. 1 No citsaine herafter..shall not bake ne brewe..but only by his wif or siervaunt.
1509 J. Fisher Mornynge Remembraunce Countesse of Rychemonde (de Worde) sig. Av The housholde seruauntes muste be put in some good ordre.
1598 Health to Gentlemanly Profession Seruingmen sig. C2v One of his Seruantes perceauing the quellers yet a farre off, which came to finysh his Maisters tragidie,..hid him safely.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. v. 54 That man of hers, Pisanio, her old Seruant . View more context for this quotation
1696 M. Pix Spanish Wives iii. 40 Let me not be a May-game to all my Servants, who by my Confinement wou'd guess at my Disgrace.
1780 Mirror No. 96 We..keep a good number of servants.
1812 J. Henderson Gen. View Agric. Caithness xvi. 245 Farm-servants pay from 20s. to 25s. for a pair of boots to follow the plough.
1843 W. Wordsworth in C. Wordsworth Mem. W. Wordsworth (1851) II. 76 A stranger..asked of one of the female servants..permission to see her master's study.
1860 C. Dickens Let. 20 Jan. (1997) IX. 199 There is a man..who was my servant for some few years, and whom I parted with only because he was ruptured and could not carry heavy family dinner trays about.
1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart i. vi. 104 Treat servants nicely, take an interest in them, and they'll do anything for you.
1993 M. Behr Smell of Apples (1996) 22 She wasn't used to having a female servant in the house. She wanted male servants, like she'd had in Tanganyika.
2017 L. Singh How to be Bawse iii. 17 As she enters the tub we hear her servant say, ‘My lady, the water is too hot.’
β. c1400 Life St. Anne (Minn.) (1928) l. 3187 (MED) Hys saruandes hyghed hame þat stound & fand hys child both hale & sound.c1500 God spede Plough (Lansd.) l. 19 in W. W. Skeat Pierce Ploughman's Crede (1873) 70 Our sarvauntys we Moste nedis paye.1599 T. Dallam Diary in J. T. Bent Early Voy. Levant (1893) i. 41 John Knill, sarvante to Mr. Wyseman, marchante.a1699 A. Halkett Autobiogr. (1875) 29 One of his sarvants came and told mee that [etc.].1845 J. B. Buckstone Green Bushes iii. ii. 43 Sure that's a mighty civil spoken boy, and it's rale grand Master George is with his big house in Dublin city, and his English sarvants in goold lace.1956 M. L. Settle O Beulah Land (1995) i. i. 73 The whites is more called sarvants.2000 E. Donoghue Slammerkin (2002) iv. 143 My poor Mary will make a good sarvant being quick and industrous.
2. In religious contexts: a person who serves or is devoted to God (or any supernatural being), the church, etc., often spec. through holding a particular religious office or position; a worshipper, a devotee, a believer.Almost always with contextual indication of the object of the person's service or devotion, chiefly with of or a possessive.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > [noun] > person
friend of GodOE
sergeantc1290
servantc1300
Christian?1535
devoto1605
devotive1608
devout1616
devote1630
devoter1634
devotist1641
devotary1646
devotor1648
volunteer1649
devotionist1651
devotionary1660
devoteea1684
devotionalist1736
devotionair1742
devotioner1883
Stiggins1916
c1300 (c1280) Southern Passion (Harl. 2277) (1927) l. 196 Me-silf also mi seruant is [a1325 Pepys wher ich am my seruaunt wiþ me ale-gate is].
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) cxviii. 65 Lord, þou didest godenes wiþ þy seruaunt [L. cum servo tuo] efter þy worde.
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1560 I wol..been thy [sc. Mars'] trewe seruant whil I lyue Now lord..Yif me the victorie, I axe thee namoore.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 1082 (MED) Þe world here es þe devels servand, Þat brynges his servauntes til his hand.
1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) l. 7215 She seruaunth was To cryst in heuene.
a1525 J. Irland Of Penance & Confession in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I. 22 I seruand and place-haldand of God.
1574 in J. Raine Wills & Inventories N. Counties Eng. (1835) I. 405 Lawrence dunccane serwand to the churche of god and Minister at the churche of belford.
1655 (title) A true testimony of what was done concerning the servants of the Lord, at the Generall Assizes at Northampton.
1716 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 131 They are strangely prejudicate against the servants of Christ in this corner.
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward II. vi. 140 The good Bishop labours night and day to preserve peace, as well becometh a servant of the altar.
1871 J. Ellerton Burial in Church Hymns 220 Father, in Thy gracious keeping Leave we now Thy servant sleeping.
1939 P. Miller New Eng. Mind xvi. 467 God began to summon His servants to testify for Him.
1988 S. Rushdie Satanic Verses (1998) 30 Ya Allah whose servant lies bleeding do not abandon me now after watching over me so long.
2020 Nation (Nigeria) (Nexis) 20 July I want to correct my mistakes by making sure a servant of God, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, is elected as governor on September 19.
†3. A person who is in bondage to another, a slave.
a. Used in translations, esp. of biblical passages; hence also in passages echoing or alluding to these. See also servant of servants n. at Phrases 1. Obsolete (increasingly rare after 1500) or merged in sense 4. [In English Bible translations from the Wycliffite versions onward, the word has very often been used to represent Latin servus or its models Greek δοῦλος and Hebrew ʿeḇeḏ, all of which have however been used to refer to a wide range of social categories, with status ranging from domestic service to enforced labour.]
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > slavery or bondage > [noun] > slave
theowc893
thrallc950
young manOE
slavec1290
boyc1300
servanta1325
bondc1330
bondmana1340
manciplea1387
man's-bond?a1400
thrillc1480
thrillmanc1480
serf1483
bondservant1535
bondslave1561
bondling1587
slave-boy1607
slave-labourer1607
chattel1649
bondsman1713
livestock1755
esne1819
thirl-man1871
task-labourer1897
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 287 (MED) A kyng made to his sone a gret Brudale ywis, And sende his seruauns to clupy ham þat were ybede.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Jer. ii. 14 Wheþer a seruaunt [altered to þral; a1382 Douce 369(1) thral; a1425 L.V. boond man; L. servus] is irael or a proper born seruaunt [altered to bonde man; a1425 L.V. borun boonde; L. vernaculus]?
a1425 (c1384) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) Ezek. xxvii. 13 Thei, thi biers, brouȝten seruauntis [a1425 L.V. boonde men; L. mancipia] and brasen vessels to thi puple.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iii. 220 Serwandis and threllis mad he fre.
c1520 M. Nisbet New Test. in Scots (1903) II. Gal. iv. 30 The sonn of the seruand sall nocht be aire with the sonn of the fre wife.
1578 W. B. tr. Appian of Alexandria Aunc. Hist. Romanes Warres i. 60 The Seruants [Gk. δούλους] of them that were slayne, being yong and lustie, he made free, to the number of tenne thousande, and declared them Citizens of Rome.
1609 J. Skene tr. Regiam Majestatem ii. Table 98v Ane servant hes na proper gudes and therefore he may not buy his liberty with his awin geir and gudes.
1736 J. Addison tr. Petronius Wks. 129 Scissa kept a Novendial for his servant [L. servo] Misellus, whom he enfranchised after he was dead.
b. North American. Sometimes used to refer to slaves (in later use perhaps with some element of euphemism). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > slavery or bondage > [noun] > slave > black
jong1615
servant1643
New Negro1701
salt-water Negro1708
boy1796
blackbird1853
intelligent contraband1861
contraband1862
1643 in W. W. Hening Statutes at Large: Coll. Laws Virginia (1823) I. 253 If any such runnaway servants or hired freemen shall produce a certificate [etc.].
1704 Boston News-let. 17 July 2/2 He said he was a free Negro..but upon being sent to Prison, he owned he was a Servant and made his Escape from his Master.
1784 Acts & Laws of Connecticut (1784) 103 Apprentices under Age and Servants bought for Time excepted.
1848 Let. in J. W. C. Pennington Fugitive Blacksmith (1849) p. ix We expect to start our servants to the South in a few days.
1861 Southern Federal Union (Milledgeville, Georgia) 17 Sept. All the servants on a plantation assembled of their own accord at the ringing of a bell by one of their own number.
4. Generally.
a. A person who has undertaken or been engaged to perform various duties for and to carry out the orders of a particular individual or organization, typically in return for wages or a salary; an agent, a functionary; an employee. Chiefly somewhat formal in later use.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > [noun]
esnec950
hindc1230
servant1340
servitor1419
ministrer?a1425
servera1425
myrona1450
obeisantc1475
servient1541
lout1567
squire1570
roguea1616
administer1677
minion1820
ancillary1867
sweater1900
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 37 Þe ontrewe reuen, prouos, and bedeles, and seruons, þet steleþ þe amendes, and wyþdraȝeþ þe rentes of hire lhordes.
1433 Petition in Rotuli Parl. (1767–77) IV. 475/1 How that late he sende into Bretayn Wauter Trenchevyle, his Servant, Factour and Attournay, to Marchandise ther.
a1500 (c1435) J. Lydgate Daunce Machabree (Lansd.) (1931) l. 449 (MED) Seruant or officer, in thyn office..To pore & riche doon pleyn Iustice.
1553 Orig. Jrnl. House of Commons 17 Nov. (Parl. Archives HC/CL/JO/1/1) f. 88v John Waller of Westminster, gent. seruaunt to Sir Thomas Cheynye, knyght for Kent, attached in London at the sute of John Adryan, hath privilege.
1618 in W. Fraser Mem. Earls of Haddington (1889) II. 135 The bisschop be his seruand, the comiserr of Caithnes, hes [etc.].
1632 Publ. Guiana's Plantation Newly Undertaken 23 The place of meeting appointed to be kept (for the receiving in of adventurers, and servants to the company).
1705 T. Hearne Ductor Historicus (ed. 2) I. ii. vi. 207 Polydore Virgil..Servant to the Pope in the Time of K. Henry VIII.
1848 Times 6 Nov. 4/4 Every attention was paid by the servants of the [railway] company to the deceased.
1891 ‘Phil’ Penny Postage Jubilee ix. 156 It was not an uncommon practice of the post-office servants to mark the postage on the envelope with pen and red ink.
1921 Derby Daily Tel. 18 Feb. Servants of the company were allowed the privilege of travelling half fare for a return journey.
1995 Times Educ. Suppl. 10 Feb. 18/1 The Nolan Committee's inquiries into the conduct of public bodies and their servants.
b. An official or employee of the state; a person who is professionally committed to serving the interests of the state, the monarch, etc. Generally with modifying word or phrase, as civil servant, public servant (see the first element), servant of the Crown, etc.In early use when referring to servants of the monarch there is some overlap with sense 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > civil service > [noun] > civil servant
servantc1400
public servant1598
civil servant1767
fonctionnaire1887
Whitehall warrior1944
c1400 Burgh Laws (Bute) c. 104 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Servand(e It is to wyt that summondyng made til a burges thrw the kyngys sevandys..for owtyn a sergeand he aw nocht to be herd.
1596 J. Harington Apol. sig. N.viii Here is one Misacmos, that is accused by some diligent officers and good seruants of the state, to be a writer of fantasticall Pamphlets, to corrupt manners.
1604 W. Cornwallis Miraculous & Happie Vnion sig. C2 What shall wee gather of this? but that this Kingdome is beheld of him, with the same care that his others are, and that the seruants of it are as deare to him.
1759 Ann. Reg. 1758 3/2 To work out the old servants of the Crown, in order to make way for a more uniform system.
1787 W. Thomson in tr. A. Cunningham Hist. Great Brit. I. Introd. 16 King William was wont to observe, that he got more truth from Argyle than from all the rest of his servants in Scotland.
1835 Examiner 4 Feb. 219/1 The hope, that the citizens of the different states respect this article of their political creed much more than do some of their Federal servants.
1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms xxxiv We hadn't been used to firing on the Queen's servants.
1910 Mansfield (Ohio) News 17 Sept. 9/2 When we make every servant of the people, high or low, genuinely, not pretendingly, honest, we will save..millions of the people's funds.
1988 Which? Tax-saving Guide 13/3 Servants of the Crown (eg UK diplomats and soldiers) working abroad are usually taxed as if in the UK.
2001 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 12 Sept. 9 For any State servant, especially the military.., there is a fine line between legitimate lobbying or contact with MPs and attempting to manipulate or frustrate government policy.
c. Simply: a person who serves or performs a service for another person, organization, or group (without implication that this is done in consequence of any formal obligation or relationship between the giver and the recipient). Commonly with preceding qualifying word indicating the goodness or otherwise of the service. Cf. server n. 2a.Sometimes in contexts in which some kind of relationship of obligation (e.g. to a monarch, a nation, etc.) may be understood to exist, and hence not always easy to distinguish from senses 4a and 4b.In later use often in rhetorical or formulaic expressions of obligation. See also Phrases 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > [noun] > that which or one who helps or means of help > a helper
helpend971
recurera1382
undertaker1382
bootc1420
profitera1425
suffrage1445
supplier1456
aidant1477
aider1483
adjutor1531
benefactor1532
assistant?1541
servant1562
aid1569
adjument1576
adjuvant1583
familiar1583
adjoint1603
opitulator1624
adjutator1832
1562 tr. Louis, Prince de Condé Declaration sig. B.iiiiv He entendeth with al his companye to bestowe and to spend hys body and goodes vnto his last breath as a good and faithefull subiecte and seruant of the crowne of Fraunce.
1607 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Serres in tr. Gen. Inuentorie Hist. France i. 82 Being restored to his Estate, he [sc. Grimoald] became afterwards an affectionate and obedient seruant to Charlemagne.
1776 J. Trumbull Let. 11 Sept. in Amer. Archives (1851) 5th Ser. II. 295 I beg leave to introduce [him] to your Excellency as a worthy man, a steady and warm friend to the States of America, and an old, tried, and faithful servant of this State.
1815 Royal Cornwall Gaz. 17 June That persevering traveller and valuable servant of the [London Missionary] Society, the Rev. John Campbell.
1857 E. D. E. N. Southworth Vivia vii. 70 The fervor of her veneration and benevolence had impelled her to the ministering life of a self-dedicated servant of the poor, the sick, the sinful, and the imprisoned.
1936 Washington Post 30 Aug. 8 Dr. Huizinga suggests that military authority might keep the servants of fascism within certain bounds, but [etc.].
1959 Kenya Nat. Assembly Official Rec. 24 Nov. 4/2 He has been a great servant to this country.
2019 Australian (Nexis) 22 Feb. 15 She was a trailblazing diplomat, a faithful servant to her nation, party and community.
5. figurative.
a. A thing whose subordinate or auxiliary relationship to a person, or another thing, may be likened to that of a servant (esp. in sense 1) to a master or mistress; (also) a thing which may be made use of for some purpose, and which therefore may be regarded as performing a service; something which serves a particular purpose or function.Sometimes in explicit contrast with master, esp. in observations about the bad consequences of losing or relinquishing control of something (after the proverb fire is a good servant but a bad master: see master n.1 2b).
ΚΠ
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 467 Mi siȝt is seruant to mi hert.
c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 25v (MED) Siþen alle þe tuniclis & also þe senewis obtici beþ to him but as it were hise helpinge seruauntis.
a1500 ( Pilgrimage of Soul (Egerton) (1953) i. xxii. f. 17v (MED) Dethes seruaunt, malady, The hath arrest and holdith now in hande.
1606 Bp. J. Hall Heauen vpon Earth xviii. 131 It is true of them that we say of Fire and water, they are good seruantes, ill maisters.
1615 S. Ward Coal from Altar 22 Zeale is a good seruant, but an ill master.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 320/2 A Shovel..is a Servant for several uses about the Lady Ceres.
1745 Life Bampfylde-Moore Carew 17 Disposing therefore of his faithful Servants, his Horse and Asses in Bridgwater.
1856 J. G. Whittier Panorama 12 The two-fronted Future... To-day, your servant, subject to your will; To-morrow, master, or for good or ill.
1895 Argosy Dec. 279/2 The bicycle, the trolley, and now the motor wagon have combined to displace the horse as a servant to man.
1921 H. J. C. Grierson Metaphysical Lyrics & Poems 17th Cent. Introd. p. xxviii A poet..whose acute and subtle intellect was the servant, if sometimes the unruly servant, of passion and imagination.
1931 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 16 Dec. (advt.) An electrical servant to mix batters, beat eggs, ream juice from oranges.
1996 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 17 Mar. (Citrus Times section) 1 Fear makes a great servant but a terrible master.
2016 Canberra Times (Nexis) 17 Apr. a19 As phones get smarter and smarter, I've discovered that mine has stopped being merely a handy servant. Now, it is a passive-aggressive, needy monster.
b. A person who is completely under the domination of or subject to a specified influence, desire, etc. Cf. slave n.1 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > [noun] > subjugation of the will to something else > one whose will is subjugated
servantc1384
slave1559
vassalc1614
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Royal) (1850) 2 Pet. ii. 19 The whiche lyuynge in errour, bihotinge liberte, or fredom..whan thei ben seruauntes of corupcioun.
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. pr. viii. l. 2220 Þow..art þral to þing þat is ryȝt foule and brutel, þat is [to] sein seruaunt to þi body.
1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) ii. iii. 38 For he is seruant & bonde vnto money, and not lord therof.
1533 T. Elyot Of Knowl. Wise Man i. f. 23 Wanton appetites: vnto whome moche greater princis than Sardanapalus was, haue ben knowen to be seruantes.
1660 R. Blome Fanatick Hist. ii. x. 192 A man is in danger, instead of meeting with an honest Quaker, to be catched by a Judas, a servant of Lust, Mammon and Antichrist.
a1770 J. Jortin Serm. (1772) VII. ii. 19 Christians..must not draw back and become the servants of sin.
1824 London Mechanics' Reg. 25 Dec. 123/1 He is not the servant of his stomach.
1941 W. Weisbach Spanish Baroque Art i. 8 Juan de Herrera was no mere servant of classical rules, but..brought into being a truly individual and Spanish feeling.
2018 Commentator (Yeshiva Univ.) (Nexis) 11 Nov. We live our lives as servants to our desires, technology, jobs, identities and traumas.
6. In various specialist and technical senses, and uses in particular contexts.
†a. As a component of various titles of office in which sergeant is now more usual; esp. in servant at (formerly †of) arms. Also sometimes used alone to refer to an armed officer in the service of a lord, knight, etc. (= sergeant-at-arms n., sergeant n. 5(a)). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > armed retainer > [noun]
housecarlOE
lede kempc1275
lede knightc1275
lede thegnc1275
sergeant-at-arms1377
servanta1400
myrmidon1620
society > authority > office > holder of office > official of royal or great household > [noun] > head of specific department
servanta1400
sergeant1450
society > law > legal profession > lawyer > [noun] > counsellor, barrister, or advocate > serjeant
sergeant1297
countourc1325
the King's (or Queen's) Serjeant1423
servant1511
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 2516 (MED) He dud to geder to gider his men þre hundride eiȝte seruauntis & ten.
a1450 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Caius) (1810) l. 1641 Hys knyghtes weren dyght, al redy, Servauntes off armes, and squyers.
1508 Bk. Keruynge (de Worde) sig. A.ivv Also yf marshall squyers and seruauntes of armes be there.
1511 Chron. in R. Dyboski Songs, Carols, & Other Misc. Poems (1907) 156 This yer ix. seruantis of þe coyff made.
1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 1147 If any one is receiued against the forme prescribed, if he be a knight he shall be a brother seruant, if a seruant at armes, he shal be of office, and if he be a chaplain, he shall be a brother of obedience.
1700 C. Davenant Disc. Grants & Resumptions iii. 176 For John Hoghton and other Servants at Arms, as to their Patentes, 'tis to be suppos'd for their Employments.
1787 A. Hawkins tr. V. Mignot Hist. Turkish Empire II. 44 The council, affrighted, seeing that it was impossible to resist both within and without, ordered a servant at arms to hoist a white flag.
b. A person who assists and is subordinate to a craftsman or tradesman; (frequently) spec. a labourer employed to assist a mason, tiler, etc., by passing materials to him. Cf. serve v.1 35, server n. 4a. Now historical.Not always clearly distinguishable from sense 4a. The word has now largely been superseded as a general term in this sense by assistant.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to status > [noun] > subordinate
servantc1400
server1483
under-workman1608
under-labourera1667
under-worker1701
grinder1814
mate1840
grunt1908
report1973
c1400 Burgh Laws (Bute) c. 71 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Servand(e Nane sal hafe in his ovyn ma servandis na iiii, the maystyr and twa servandis & a knafe, the lorde of the ovyn [etc.].
1409 in M. Sellers York Memorandum Bk. (1915) II. 178 (MED) No man of the said craft shall wyrke no other men servantes, nor prentyses, nor jourman, unto suche tyme as he be clere of his said maister.
1423 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 159 (MED) Item, to j tiler..Item, for his seruaunt be j day & dj., takynge þe day with his noonchyns vj d.
1554–5 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 313 Item, to David Grahame, masoun, for his oulk's wage xxiiijs. Item, to Laurence Paterson, his servand viijs.
1611 in H. M. Paton Accts. Master of Wks. (1982) I. 336 To the scleters and hes sarvantis for ther morning drinkes.
1675 in J. H. Macadam Baxter Bks. St. Andrews (1903) 139 And that nae brother or any comone servant of traid shall help the said Wm. Kinlowie in baiking of ane bread.
1712 View Penal Laws 20 in Laws concerning Trade & Tradesmen In case any such Brewer or his Servant brewing..shall refuse to make such Declaration, the Gauger shall Return the whole Guile to be strong.
1790 W. Beloe Incidents of Youthful Life li. 152 He saw, at a distance, a one-horse chaise overturned by the carelessness of a baker's servant, who drove his cart against it.
1853 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 16 217 (table) Description of Workmen... Locksmith..Servant to ditto.
1881 Vet. Jrnl. 13 373 I..had an opportunity of questioning the butcher's servant, and was fully confirmed in the opinion that..the heifers..were sold to these farmers.
1952 Jrnl. Soc. Archit. Historians 11 12/1 Griffin, who seems to have been a brewer's servant from Limehouse, had seen a brick church..go up in Wapping.
2008 Jrnl. Social Hist. 41 726 The other live-in boys had a variety of occupations, for example as apprentice of a glassmaker, clog maker, baker's servant or shoemaker's servant.
c. From the late 16th century used as a component of the names various companies of actors having a formal association with a particular patron (or, in more general use, seeking to make such an association informally); esp. in His (or Her) Majesty's servants. Subsequently versions of this name have been used informally to refer to other theatrical companies with a royal connection of some kind (e.g. through being based at a theatre with a title such as ‘Theatre Royal’), and occasionally to the acting profession in general. Now historical.Originally used with reference to companies of players who were permitted to describe themselves as the servants (in a more general sense) of a particular patron, of which one of the most durable was that more commonly known as The King's Men (see king's man n. 1b). In 1660 some former members of the King's Men, which had by then been disbanded, formed a new company called the King's Company, which became associated with the Theatre Royal in London (first in Bridges Street and later in Drury Lane), and which was often referred to as His (or Her) Majesty's Servants in advertisements; in 1684 the company merged with the Duke's Men (or Duke's Company). In due course the usage was extended to companies at other theatres with similar names.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > actor > [noun] > company of actors > types of company > under patronage
His (or Her) Majesty's servants1584
1584 in E. K. Chambers Elizabethan Stage (1923) II. 221 Tuesdaie the third daie of Marche..certen playors whoe said they were the seruants of the Quenes Maiesties Master of the Revells, who required lycence to play & for there aucthorytye showed forth an Indenture of Lycense.
1590 in C. Marlowe Tamburlaine: 1st Pt. (title page) Deuided into two Tragicall Discourses, as they were sundrie times shewed vpon Stages in the Citie of London. By the right honorable the Lord Admyrall, his seruantes.
1594 (title) The honorable historie of frier Bacon, and frier Bongay. As it was plaid by her Maiesties seruants.
1661 (title) The mayor of Quinborough: a tragedy. As it hath been often acted with much applause at Black-Fryars, by His Majesties Servants.
1763 (title) Patriotism! A farce. As it is acted by his Majesty's servants.
1778 Williamson's Liverpool Advertiser 10 July By their Majesties Servants. Theatre Royal, Liverpool..Will be presented a Tragedy, called The Distrest Mother.
1861 Morning Post 29 Jan. 6/4 The play performed on this interesting occasion by ‘her Majesty's servants’, as the actors at this establishment [sc. the Drury-lane Theatre] are privileged to style themselves, was the tragedy of ‘Hamlet’.
1872 Daily News 9 Jan. 5/5 As everybody knows the players have always gloried in the fact of being his, or ‘her Majesty's servants’.
1903 Times 17 Apr. 7/6 Andrea Chenier..played, for the first time in London by the Royal Carl Rosa Opera Company—Her (late) Majesty's Servants, as they proudly proclaim themselves—at the Camden Theatre last night.
2007 Mod. Lang. Rev. 102 5 James had elevated Shakespeare's and Burbage's acting company to the status of His Majesty's Servants on 17 May 1603.
†d. An employee of the East India Company. Obsolete.In early use only as part of a more explicit phrase, as servant of the Company, etc. (and as such simply a specific use of sense 4a).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trader > merchant > [noun] > resident abroad > employees of East India Company
factor1600
servant1621
writer1675
scavenger1702
civilian1761
1621 Lawes E. India Co. ccxliv. 54 After the death of any of the Companies Factors, or other Seruants in the Jndies, the President and his Counsell, shall..send home to the Gouernour, Deputy, and Committees, the last wils of the deceased.
1699 Dialogue Director New East-India Company 20 No Officer or Servant of the Company shall take directly or indirectly any Fee or Reward whatsoever for any Service in the Company, but what shall be allowed by the Court of Directors.
1779 G. Bogle Let. 16 Feb. 7 in App. to Comment on Petition (?1780) By the hearty Assistance of the Company's Attorney and of many of the ablest Revenue Servants, these Endeavours were attended with some Success.
1783 E. Burke in 9th Rep. Commons Sel. Comm. Bengal, Bahar, & Orissa i. 8 One Provision indeed was made for restraining the Servants.
1858 India, & East India Company 25 The Company was intrusted not only with absolute power, not only over the European servants, but the interests of the whole Indian Empire were involved.
†7. A person owing service to a feudal overlord, a vassal. Obsolete.In later Scottish use also with reference to obligations obtaining under a bond of manrent (see manrent n. 1b).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > feudal service > [noun] > vassal
manlOE
subjectc1350
liegemana1375
liege1377
feudary1387
servant?a1400
vassala1400
feedmanc1460
sidesman1462
feeman1517
feudatary1586
feudatory1765
leud1812
geneat1861
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 11263 Þou ffrolle our seruant [a1450 Lamb. baroun] slouh, ffrance & Flandres fro vs drouh.
?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) II. lf. 262 O right noble kynge as I am your trewe seruant and vassale.
1527 in W. Mure Select. Family Papers Caldwell (1854) I. 58 Me Johne Mure..grants me and myne airs ppetualie, to bekum man and servand till Hew Erle of Eglingtone, and till his airs ppetualie.
1579–80 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1882) IV. 151 Allaster McGregour, seruand or dependare vpoun the laird of Gairdne.
8.
a. With possessive adjective. A person regarded, or rhetorically presented, as being bound to another by informal ties of obligation such as those arising from being in love, desiring to reciprocate a favour performed, the requirements of courtesy, etc. Now somewhat archaic.Also used in certain fixed formulae: see Phrases 2.
ΚΠ
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 976 Þay kallen hym of a-quoyntaunce, & he hit quyk askeȝ To be her seruaunt sothly, if hem-self lyked.
a1450 (c1370) G. Chaucer Complaint unto Pity (Tanner) (1871) l. 60 Sheweth vnto riall excellence Your seruaunt If I durste me so calle His mortall harme.
a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 2892 (MED) Euer after hurre seruande he wolde be.
?1553 tr. Pope Pius II Hist. Ladye Lucres & Eurialus sig. C.ivv Ah my Lucres, my Ladye,..take me vnto thy grace, and at laste wryte vnto mee that I am thy beloued, nothynge I woulde elsse, but that I myghte saye I am thy Seruaunte.
1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe ii. ii. sig. C4 Sweet Creature stay..My selfe wil be your seruant, and I sweare..you shall liue heere as free from base wrong, as you are from blackenesse.
1616 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Scornful Ladie v. sig. I4 Mo. Shall we goe noble Knight? I would faine be acquainted. Yo. lo. Ile be your seruant sir.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 324. ⁋1 I am so enamoured with you, that I can no more keep close my flaming desires to become your servant.
1860 C. Chanter Over Cliffs (1861) xli. 263 Should chance ever lead you to visit my country, count on me. I am your servant, and the château of the Marquis de Rohan shall be yours.
1901 West Coast Mag. Jan. 615/2 I am at your service, doc.—fire away, if it is anything in which I can pull you through I am your humble servant.
1972 J. Knappert tr. Choice of Flowers 133 My mistress, listen, I am your servant.
†b. A devoted lover, esp. one who professes a desire to ‘serve’ a woman (cf. mistress n. 5). Also (somewhat depreciatively): a man with whom a woman is engaged in an illicit romantic or sexual relationship. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > a lover > [noun] > male lover
servantc1405
specialc1425
servitorc1450
love-lad1586
young man1589
inamorato1592
swainc1592
gentleman friend1667
enamorado1677
spark1707
beau?1720
Johnny1726
man friend1736
feller1842
novio1843
soupirant1849
fella1874
man1874
fellow1878
square-pusher1890
stud1895
papa1896
lover mana1905
boyfriend1906
daddy1912
lover-boy1925
sheikh1925
sweetback1929
sweet man1942
older man1951
boyf1990
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 956 For in my tyme a seruant was I oon And ther fore..I knowe of loues peyne.
?1507 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen (Rouen) in Poems (1998) I. 53 I haue ane secrete serwand..That me supportis of sic nedis.
1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. xxix. f. 314v The knight which in the morning disposed him selfe to pursue the harte, was in heart so attached, as at euening he was become a seruant.
1667 S. Pepys Diary 4 Jan. (1974) VIII. 4 Peg and her servant, Mr. Lowder.
a1700 C. Sedley Poems in Wks. (1778) I. 54 Some caution yet I'd have thee use, Whene'er thou dost a servant chuse: Men are not all for lovers fit.
1822 W. Combe Hist. Johnny Quæ Genus i. 20 But pray what figure did she bear While you th' unwilling servant were?

Phrases

P1.
servant of all work n. (also †servant for all work) now archaic and historical a (usually female) servant who is engaged to do all kinds of domestic work, as opposed to having one particular role or responsibility (cf. work n. Phrases 1c); a factotum; also figurative. Cf. maid-of-all-work n. (a) at maid n.1 3b.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > domestic servant > [noun] > maid or housemaid > maid-of-all-work
general servant1725
servant of all work1754
maid-of-all-work1801
slavey1821
universal maid1840
marchioness1883
skivvy1902
1754 London Daily Advertiser 21 Sept. (advt.) Wanted immediately, a sober young Woman, as a Servant for all Work, in a Tradesman's Family.
1758 Public Advertiser 1 Mar. (advt.) A Servant of all Work is wanted.
1785 L. MacNally Fashionable Levities iv. i. 52 Your conscience is a servant of all work—which you discharge at a moment's warning.
1844 Quaver 459 He was..servant of all work; he milked the cow; he dunged the byre, and thatched it, he went to market; [etc.].
1984 Times 4 July 13/5 Mary..joined the family as a servant of all work during the First World War to replace ‘poor Mimi’ who was German and had to be repatriated.
2009 A. Kay Found. Female Entrepreneurship v. 96 It was not uncommon..for ‘servants of all work’ to share some responsibility for the children of the house, in addition to cleaning, cooking, washing, ironing, food shopping and so on.
servant of servants n. a slave in a position of the most extreme or most demeaning servitude.Chiefly in or with reference to the biblical use in Genesis 9:25. [After post-classical Latin servus servorum (Vulgate), itself after Hebrew ʿeḇeḏ ʿăḇāḏīm (Genesis 9:25).]
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > slavery or bondage > [noun] > slave > one in most degrading slavery
servant of servantsa1425
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Gen. ix. 25 Cursid be the child Canaan, he schal be seruaunt of seruauntis [L. servus servorum] to hise britheren.
1700 J. Buerdsell Disc. & Ess. Several Subj. 49 For is not Canaan sentenc'd to be a Servant of Servants, for the Unnaturalness of his Father Ham?
1848 J. Baker Rev. Bible 26 Here Noah is represented as cursing his son Canaan..dooming him to be a servant of servants unto his brethren.
1962 Ebony July 74/1 Did Canaan become Shem and Japheth's ‘servant of servants?’ Quite the contrary.
servant of the servants of God n. the Pope (often as a title). [After post-classical Latin servus servorum Dei (first used as a papal title by Gregory the Great (6th cent.)).]
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > pope > [noun]
popeeOE
apostoilec1275
vicary1303
vicar1340
bridge maker1341
Antichristc1370
vicar generalc1386
Holy Fatherc1400
servant of the servants of Godc1405
His Holy Fatherhood?a1425
universal bishopc1475
holiness1502
harlot1535
papa1555
Apostolic seat1560
vicegerent1572
man of Rome1581
pontiff1583
bullman1588
apostolicship1599
Pontifex Maximus1610
infallibleship1613
sanctity1633
popeship1641
decretaliarch1656
blessedness1670
Holy seata1674
infallibilityship1679
pontifexa1680
holyshipc1680
unholiness1682
His Infallibility1834
Pape1927
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Ellesmere) (1877) §773 The Pope calleth hym-self seruant of the seruantz of god.
1535 W. Marshall tr. Marsilius of Padua Def. of Peace ii. xxv. f. 104 I also Leo the seruaunte of the seruauntes of god, bysshop, with all the clargye & the people of Rome, do constytute, confyrme, and roborate, [etc.].
1715 Sir Richard Steele's Recantation 7 You cannot meet with a more generous Adversary, than the Servant of the Servants of God, Clement XI. your particular very humble Servant.
1857 Daily News 15 June 5/3 It might be illnaturedly said that this being carried upon men's shoulders does not very well agree with the humility of the ‘Servant of the servants of God’.
1998 Independent (Nexis) 16 Oct. 1 These were the ‘world leaders’ back in October 1978, when a little-known Polish cardinal stepped out on to St Peter's Square as the new pope... Twenty years on, those worldly leaders are long since retired or dead, but the ‘servant of the servants of God’ is still with us.
P2. your servant.
a. Used formulaically when ending a formal letter, to refer to oneself as the author when addressing a patron in the dedication of a book, etc. Cf. your adj. 4. Also frequently with modifying adjective, as your humble, obedient, etc., servant (see humble adj. 1c, obedient adj. 1c); in this form later also used more generally in other contexts, as an elaborate or self-deprecating way to refer to oneself.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous act or expression > courteous formulae [phrase] > conventional or deferential
your servitorc1405
beadsman1420
your servant1438
your (most) obedient servant (etc.)1543
rest1572
respects1631
1438 in O. T. Bruce Liber Cartarum Prioratus St. Andree (1841) 430 Rycht worschipfull lord and derast maistir Jamys of Kyninmond of that ilke yhoure humble seruand rycht mekly besekis yhoure hee lordschip that [etc.].
?1444 J. Gresham in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 14 Wretyn right simply... By your most symple seruaunt Jamys Gresham.
1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) Ded. 1 Your most humble servant william Caxton amonge other of your seruantes sendes unto yow peas.
?1533 G. Du Wes Introductorie for to lerne Frenche sig. Uiv Written by your vnworthy seruant.
1649 R. Lovelace Lucasta: Epodes, Odes, Sonnets, Songs 101 But now to close all I must switch-hard. Servant ever; Lovelace Richard.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 314. ⁋4 I..shall take it for a mighty Favour, if you will give me..Advice... I am once more, Sir, Your obliged humble Servant, John Trott.
1835 C. Dickens Let. 18 Dec. (1965) I. 109 A driver was chosen by ballot, and your humble servant was unanimously appointed Guard.
1845 W. D. Macray Man. Brit. Historians Ded. To the Rev. Bulkeley Bandinel,..this volume is..dedicated, by his obedient and obliged servant.
1915 Let. in Times 11 Dec. 10/3 Your obedient servant, A Derby Recruit.
1997 A. Miller Ingenious Pain v. 215 Keep an eye on my sister, she is not used to being alone. I am, Sir, your most obliged and humble servant, Julius Lestrade.
b. Used as a respectful greeting or salutation, as when meeting or taking leave of someone. Sometimes elliptically as servant. Now archaic.
ΚΠ
1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 62 I come to yow in the name and at the request of a gentil knight he saying your seruaunt, the whiche requireth yow, that of your grace hit wolde plese yow that he might speke with yow.
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. H3 Lo, into my former state I returne againe, poore Iack Wilton and your seruant am I, as I was at the beginning, and so will I perseuer to my liues ending.
1615 T. Tomkis Albumazar ii. vii. sig. E3 Lel. 'Tis done. I kisse your hands Eugenio. Evg. Your seruant, sir.
1664 J. Wilson Cheats ii. i. 18 Mo. Have a little patience Madam, and I'll send you a preparation of my own:—In the mean time your servant:—I am staid for at present. Exit.
1705 T. Walker Wit of Woman ii. 21 Enter Boastwit. Boast. So, Sir, your Servant, your Servant, Captain.
1848 L. A. Chamerovzow Philip of Lutetia 18 ‘Madame Giboulette, sir, at your service!’ ‘Servant, mam'selle!’ replied Legendre, doffing his cap to Madelaine.
1884 G. A. Sala Dead Men tell no Tales 87/2 I leave you to the enjoyment of your punch. Gentlemen, I am your servant. Au revoir!
1986 J. Feather Smuggler's Lady (2000) iii. 37 ‘Lady Blake,’ he murmured in response to the introduction. ‘Servant, ma'am.’ His lips brushed the air above the small hand in his palm.
2009 J. Fulford Wayward Governess (2012) xvi. 279 ‘Lord Destermere, at your service.’..‘Your servant, my lord.’
†c. Used to express deference or self-deprecation in response to another's statement, expressed opinion, etc. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1668 C. Sedley Mulberry-garden iv. i. 45 Mod. Womens favours, like the gifts Of Fairies, if once spoke of, vanish. Wild. O your Servant, what say you Estridge?
1722 R. Steele Conscious Lovers ii. 33 Ind. First give me leave to thank you, for my Tickets. Bev. jun. O! your Servant, Madam.
1770 S. Foote Lame Lover iii. 65 Oh! if you are angry, your servant—I thought that the news would have pleas'd you.
1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. vi. 127 Sen. I shall be content with a few selections..Tes. O, your servant!—those you shall have without demur.
1861 G. Meredith Evan Harrington II. vii. 134 ‘We won't enter into the mysteries of origin,’ quoth Lady Jocelyn. ‘Exactly, my lady. Oh, your servant, of course. Before ladies.’

Compounds

C1. As a modifier (chiefly in sense 1).In the late 19th and early 20th centuries frequently with reference to the difficulty of finding, retaining, or affording paid domestic help, especially for middle class households (esp. in servant problem, servant question).
ΚΠ
1642 Kirkcudbright Test. 24 Mar. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Servand(e To Niniane McIlnae of servand fies [£8].
1836 S. Laing Jrnl. Resid. Norway 321 The cause of this lies perhaps as much in the position of the master as of the servant class, in American society.
1853 Ladies' Cabinet Dec. 324/2 Now we shall have the great subject for woman's eloquence brought under discussion! here it comes—the ever-fertile servant-question!
1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Let. 26 Feb. (1954) III. 26 The servant-trouble seems less mountainous to me than it did the other day.
1872 Leeds Mercury 22 Apr. 2/4 Let our readers only look round among their own circles of friends to satisfy themselves how terrible this Servant problem is becoming.
1911 Columbian Mag. July 738 He desired..that she should consent to stay in his home... This would inhibit servant talk.
1936 Stage June 30/3 Coming back to America and the headaches of the servant question.
1973 ‘R. Lewis’ Blood Money viii. 117 I suppose you see it as somewhat anachronistic—a young girl ‘in service’... But you won't be here to discuss the servant problem, Inspector Crow.
2007 Economist 22 Dec. 125/3 As the working classes prospered and the servant shortage set in, housekeeping became a matter of interest to the literate classes.
C2. With other nouns, in the sense ‘that is a servant’, as servant boy, servant man, servant woman, etc. See also servant girl n.
ΚΠ
1379 in C. Fenwick Poll Taxes 1377, 1379 & 1381 (2005) III. 353/2 Robertus servantman 4d.
1379 in C. Fenwick Poll Taxes 1377, 1379 & 1381 (2005) III. 358/2 Elena Servantwoman 4d.
a1402 J. Trevisa tr. R. Fitzralph Defensio Curatorum (Harl.) (1925) 81 (MED) Þou schalt nouȝt coueite þi neiȝbores hous, noþer desire his wif, noþer his seruaunt man noþer womman.
?a1450 Metrical Life Christ (1977) 56 A seruaunt mayde Come to Petre & þus saide, [etc.].
1551 in Memorabilia City of Glasgow (1835) 3 He hes mariit the said Marioun and will nocht awed, treit uss, and sustein hir in all necessaris as his wyf, bot susteinis and usis hir as ane servand lass.
1584 St. Andrews Test. II. 350 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Servand(e John Pittillok seruand boy.
1604 in T. Pont's Topogr. Acc. Cunningham (Maitland Club) 183 To Thomas Blair, his servand-gentilman of fie, xl lib.
1634 P. Studley Looking-glasse of Schisme 43 A young black horse of the old mans, by the negligence of a servant boy of the house, got into the roome.
1659 Cramond Kirk Session I. 17 Apr. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Stek(e Marion Wachop steekit out the uther servant woman Jonet Young two severall nights.
1698 J. Kirkwood Plea before Kirk ii. 14 At last he stumbled into Dandy Huy's Barn, where his Servant Lad Robert Bruice was Threshing.
1714 E. Freke Remembrances (2001) 83 The said servant man took one of my sons pockett pistolls.
1718 Weekly Jamaica Courant 5 Aug. Absented himself the 30th of July, from his Master Doctor Smithell Matson's Service, a white Servant-Boy, named John Braddas.
1781 Triumph Prudence over Passion I. i. 6 I could not abide to run foul of a servant fellow every step I took about my house.
1812 Ann. Reg., Chron. 37 The servant-wench, who slept in the next room.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxvi. 226 The Irish servant-lass rushed up from the kitchen.
1906 J. Joyce Let. 3 Dec. (1966) II. 199 Servant-wife blows her nose in the letter and lawyer confronts the mistress.
1996 J. Robertson Sc. Ghost Stories (1998) ix. 117 One Saturday afternoon a servant-lass was busy in the kitchen, cleaning the family boots and shoes in preparation for the Sabbath.
2000 Times of India 14 Dec. (Bombay Times section) 10/5 The sight of a young servant boy, cleaning the window of a high-rise building.
2009 Western Mail (Nexis) 31 Aug. 16 He had been no more than a servant man when Leah married him, a kind of hired help who, however, lived in.
C3. With the first element in singular form.
servant-leader n. a leader viewed as one who works in the service of his or her employees, supporters, etc.; (in later use) spec. a leader who adheres to the principles of servant leadership (cf. servant leadership n.).
ΚΠ
1852 E. Jones Notes to People II. 583/1 There is nothing like the actual, pervading, living presence of the servant-leaders of a movement.
1922 Assoc. Men Aug. 560 The nation is in need of sun-crowned men to abolish poverty, needless disease, give fellowship for injustice. Can our colleges endow and empower these servant-leaders?
1970 R. K. Greenleaf Servant as Leader 3 Effective servant-leaders..emerge strong and speak with authority when the values and goals of those who go with them are truly served by their actions.
2014 M. R. Lee Leading Virtual Project Teams ii. 52 Her leadership style is closely related to servant leadership, where the servant-leader shares power and delegates, puts the needs of others first, and attempts to encourage employees to perform to their maximum potential.
servant leadership n. an approach to leadership in which the leader works to serve the needs of his or her employees, supporters, etc., rather than exert power over them.
ΚΠ
1977 R. K. Greenleaf (title) Servant leadership: a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness.
1995 W. Gordon & R. L. Frame Real Hope in Chicago 118 Jesus models this servant leadership by getting down on his knees..to wash his disciples' feet. It is incumbent on us as well to serve those we are attempting to develop.
2013 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 17 Feb. (Business section) 2/5 Do they get the idea of servant leadership? I think the biggest misfits for us are people who won't put the company and the vision ahead of their career.
servant quarters n. = servants' quarters n. at Compounds 4.
ΚΠ
1880 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 6 Oct. 3/7 The attic floor is designed for servant quarters, linen-closets, etc.
1988 Times of India 23 Feb. i. 11/7 Marble Flooring, Teakwood Doors and Windows, separate Servant Quarters in serene..surroundings.
2016 E. Lyons Forbidden Fruit vii. 88 The sweeper lived with her family in one room at the servant quarters.
servant tax n. now historical a tax applied to households keeping one or more servants.Used esp. to designate the tax introduced in England and Wales in 1777 and abolished in 1937. The servant tax was typically calculated on the basis of the number of male servants in a household, but in some periods was applied to both male and female servants.
ΚΠ
1782 Plan Taxation N.-Y. in A. Hamilton Wks. (1850) II. 210 Carriage Tax. Servant Tax. Collector, at the time he visits the houses, to take a list..of the carriages and menial servants.
1848 Punch 12 Aug. 68/2 Hasn't he [sc. the Saxon] exempted us [sc. Irishmen] from income-tax, window-tax, carriage-tax, and servant-tax?
1912 Illustr. London News 6 July 30/1 [The women who met] to protest against the servant tax..are busy about another big gathering to protest again and organise a ‘ServantTax Resisters' League’.
2013 Scotl. on Sunday (Nexis) 20 July Ever since the window tax—and the carriage tax, the clock tax, the dog tax and servant tax—was thrown out in favour of income tax,..tax codes have become so complex..they are scarcely comprehendible.
C4. With the first element in the plural or genitive.
servants' hall n. now historical (a) a large room used as a common room or dining room by the servants (in sense 1) employed in a large house; (b) used attributively to refer to attitudes or actions regarded (typically because of roughness or lack of sophistication) as characteristic of such an environment.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > room by type of use > [noun] > dining room > servants'
servants' hall1721
1721 Particular & Inventory Sir J. Blunt (South-Sea Company) 45 In the Servants Hall and Passage. A Table, 8 Buckets, a Stool, a Horse for Clothes.
a1741 C. Fiennes Journeys (1947) i. 55 Just behind the hall is the Servants hall.
1813 Examiner 8 Feb. 89/1 The ethics of the kitchen and servants'-hall.
1860 Birmingham Daily Post 1 Mar. 4/3 We quite approve of their refusal to submit to this servants' hall treatment.
1941 H. Dalton Diary 30 Mar. in Second World War Diary (1986) iii. 179 This leads me to make some observations on the way in which British diplomats always seem to be glamoured and bamboozled by local Kings. Why this Servants' Hall mentality?
2012 20th-cent. Lit. 58 225 Hartley is required to dine in the servants' hall.
servants' quarters n. accommodation provided for and inhabited by servants, now often a self-contained apartment in or near the employer's home.In earliest use: slave quarters (see sense 3b).
ΚΠ
1700 T. Bray Circular Let. Clergy Mary-Land Give one [sc. a Catechism] to all the poorer Families, and to Servants Quarters..where there are Children.
1830 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 13 July An excellent brick dwelling house,..with an overseer's dwelling and servants quarters.
1867 Boston Daily Advertiser 26 June The fire..destroyed the newly erected servants' quarters..[of] the Union Hotel.
1881 E. R. Church How to Furnish Home viii. 97 It is not necessary to furnish the servants' quarters with hair mattresses and a piano,..; but it will not be a mistake to have the bed comfortable.
1971 V. Canning Queen's Pawn viii. 120 Servants' quarters, some maid sitting on her bed now, pulling off her shoes,..idle hand reaching out..for cigarettes and lighter.
2000 Cape Times 19 July i. 16/7 (advt.) The property is improved and consists of a dwelling house with four bedrooms... double garage, servants quarters.
servants' tax n. now historical = servant tax n. at Compounds 3.
ΚΠ
1777 St. James's Chron. 24–27 May Yesterday the current Business being disposed, the House went into a Committee on the Servants Tax Bill.
1870 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 197/1 [Taxation in the Netherlands] includes, (1) house-tax, (2) door and window tax, (3) chimney-tax, (4) furniture-tax, (5) servants' tax, (6) horse-tax.
1904 Badminton Mag. June 566 What proportion of the original cost of the carriage should be set aside annually for depreciation, omitting the carriage tax, servant's tax, rent of stables, [etc.].
1998 Eng. Hist. Rev. 113 1010 John Chartres re-visits the records of the servants' tax of 1777.

Derivatives

ˈservant-like adj.
ΚΠ
1582 A. Fleming tr. A. Autpertus Monomachie of Motiues i. iv. 39 Esteeme of thy selfe Lord-like, and not seruant-like.
1853 W. J. Hickie tr. Aristophanes Comedies II. 567 This is a servant-like act which you have openly done.
2010 Jrnl. Business Ethics 91 39/1 What was a positive servant-like type of leadership in the earlier Arab societies was diluted.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

† servantadj.

Forms: late Middle English–1600s seruant, 1600s 1800s servant.
Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymons: French servant, servir.
Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French servant (beginning of the 13th cent. in Old French; French servant ), use as adjective of the present participle of servir serve v.1 Compare earlier servant n., and also slightly earlier serving adj.
Obsolete (archaic in later use).
That serves (in various senses of serve v.1); serving, ministering; (also) that resembles (that of) a servant, servant-like.In quot. c1405: enslaved, not free.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > [adjective] > like servant
servantc1405
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Ellesmere) (1877) §961 Thow shalt considere what thow art..wheither..yong or oold, gentil or thral, free or seruant.
1531 W. Tyndale Expos. 1 John (1537) 6 They..haue promysed..to waxe euer lower and lower, and euery daye more seruant then another.
1649 H. Woodward Of Child's Portion v. 69 It teacheth those, that are highest in place and gifts, to have an eye..to those that are lowest in regard of both, and to be the more servant unto all.
1858 P. J. Bailey Age 89 Earth's monarchs..foster most the inhuman arts that be To homicide most servant.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

servantv.

Brit. /ˈsəːv(ə)nt/, U.S. /ˈsərvənt/
Forms: see servant n.
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: servant n.
Etymology: < servant n. With sense 3 compare earlier servanted adj.
†1. transitive. With to. To subordinate (a person) to another, as or in the manner of a servant; to put at the service or command of a person; to make subservient or subject to another. Only in passive. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > make subject to
underputc1374
subjecta1382
subduea1398
summitc1400
inclinec1425
submit?c1425
endanger1551
vassalize1599
servanta1616
vassal1615
vassalage1648
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) v. ii. 83 My affaires Are Seruanted to others. View more context for this quotation
1682 N. Tate Ingratitude of Common-wealth iv. 47 Mother, Wife, or Child, I know not; I'm not my own, but servanted to others.
1884 Times 4 Jan. 8/1 These natives are already ‘servanted’ to the chiefs, who in their turn are required to provide the government with the necessary quota of ‘copra’.
1908 M. N. Dutt tr. Garuda Puranam cxv. 349 They who are servanted to others, are the monuments of living death.
2. intransitive. To work as or take on the role of a servant. Formerly also transitive as †to servant it.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > be servant [verb (intransitive)]
serve?a1300
to servant it1655
1655 S. Hunton King of Kings 68 He mated..not only his Master, but his Masters also;..by servanting it to them in all in his administrations and services..for their good, their peace, and welfares, &c.
1915 Royal Mag. 34 297/1 Because I'm a fool, I suppose I shall go on servanting for you, and taking your oaths and your blows, and putting up with callers like this.
1990 M. Collins Rain Darling 138 Martin never had nobody servanting for him.
3. transitive. To provide (a person) with a servant or servants. Chiefly in passive with preceding qualifying word. Cf. servanted adj. rare.
ΚΠ
1747 S. Richardson Clarissa I. xxxi. 203 The uncles and the nephew are now to be double-servanted (single-servanted they were before), and those servants are to be double-arm'd when they attend their masters abroad.
1920 H. A. Franck Vagabonding through Changing Germany ii. 25 I am free to admit that in all my travels I have never been better housed and servanted than in Coblenz.
2015 Smithsonian Nov. 71/1 I have been around blacks all my life. They are great people. When I grew up, we were servanted. All the servants were black.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?c1225adj.c1405v.a1616
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