# servant
## English
### Alternative forms

* servaunt, servand (obsolete)

### Etymology

From Middle English servaunt, from Old French servant, from the present participle of the verb servir. Doublet of sergeant and servient. Morphologically serve +‎ -ant. Displaced native Old English þeġn.

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈsɜːvənt/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈsɝvənt/, [ˈsɝvn̩ʔ]
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)vənt

### Noun

servant (plural servants)
* One who is hired to perform regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. As opposed to a slave.
    There are three servants in the household, the butler and two maids.
** 1837, James Fenimore Cooper, Gleanings in Europe: England:In the great houses, servants out of livery help to the different plats, servants in livery holding the dishes, sauces, etc., and changing the plates.
** 1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish, but I would not go out of my way to protest against it. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. I would very gladly make mine over to him if I could.
* One who serves another, providing help in some manner.
    She is quite the humble servant, the poor in this city owe much to her but she expects nothing.
* (religion) A person who dedicates themselves to God.
* (obsolete) A professed lover.
* A person of low condition or spirit.

#### Derived terms

* assigned servant
* body servant
* captain's servant
* civil servant
* covenanted servant
* domestic servant
* even-servant
* eye-servant
* fire is a good servant but a bad master
* indentured servant
* maid-servant
* maidservant
* manservant
* public servant
* servantless
* servantlike
* servantly
* servant out of livery
* who was your servant last year
* woman servant
* your servant

#### Translations

Aghwan: 𐔱𐔰𐕅𐔱𐔰𐕍𐔰𐔾 (bal'baq̇al)
Albanian: shërbyes (sq) m, shërbyese (sq) f
Amharic: ሎሌ m (lole)
Arabic: خَادِم m (ḵādim), خَادِمَة f (ḵādima), خَدَم pl (ḵadam)
Egyptian Arabic: خدام m (ḵaddām), خدامة f (ḵaddāma)
Armenian: ծառա (hy) (caṙa), սպասավոր (hy) (spasavor)
Aromanian: dul m, huzmichear m, shcljau m
Azerbaijani: qulluqçu (az), nökər (az), xidmətçi (az)
Bashkir: хеҙмәтсе (xeźmətse)
Belarusian: слуга́ m (sluhá), служа́нка f (služánka), прыслу́жнік m (pryslúžnik), прыслу́жніца f (pryslúžnica), слу́жка m or f (slúžka)
Bengali: নোকর (nōkor), চাকর (bn) (cakor)
Bole: buda
Breton: servijour m, servijourez f
Bulgarian: слуга́ (bg) m (slugá), слуги́ня f (slugínja), прислу́жник (bg) m (prislúžnik), прислу́жница f (prislúžnica), служи́тел (bg) m (služítel), служи́телка f (služítelka)
Burmese: အစေအပါး (my) (a.cea.pa:)
Catalan: servent (ca) m, criat (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 僕人 / 仆人 (zh) (púrén), 傭人 / 佣人 (zh) (yōngrén), 奴僕 / 奴仆 (zh) (núpú), 奴役 (zh) (núyì)
Cimbrian: diinar m, diinaren f
Coptic: ⲃⲱⲕ m (bōk)
Czech: sluha (cs) m, služka (cs) f, služebný m
Danish: tjener (da) c
Dutch: hulp (nl), hulpje (nl), huishoudhulp (nl), bediende (nl), knecht (nl) m, meid (nl) f, dienaar (nl) m
Egyptian: (bꜣk m), (bꜣkt f)
Erzya: вардо m (vardo), варданка f (vardanka)
Estonian: teenija, sulane
Finnish: palvelija (fi)
French: domestique (fr) m or f, servante (fr) f, serviteur (fr) m (archaic)
Friulian: sierf m, famei m, servidôr m
Galician: servente (gl) m, criado m
Georgian: მსახური (msaxuri)
German: Diener (de) m, Dienerin (de) f, Lakai (de) m, Kammerdiener (de) m, Zofe (de) f, Bediensteter (de) m, Bediener m, Dienstbote (de) m; (rural) Knecht (de) m, Magd (de) f
Gothic: 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐍃 m (þius), 𐌸𐌹𐍅𐌹 f (þiwi), 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 m (andbahts)
Greek: υπηρέτης (el) m (ypirétis)
Ancient Greek: θεράπων m (therápōn), θεράπαινα f (therápaina), λατρεύς m (latreús)
Hanunoo: alaga
Hausa: yaro
Hebrew: מְשָׁרֵת (he) m (mesharét)
Higaonon: kabulig
Hindi: नौकर (hi) m (naukar), चाकर (hi) m (cākar), नौकरानी (hi) f (naukrānī), सेवक (hi) m (sevak), भृत्य (hi) m (bhŕtya), मुलाज़िम m (mulāzim)
Hungarian: szolga (hu), cseléd (hu) (female)
Icelandic: þjónn (is) m
Indonesian: pembantu (id)
Irish: seirbhíseach m, searbhónta m
Italian: servo (it) m, servitore (it) m, domestico (it) m, famiglio (it) m
Japanese: 使用人 (ja) (しようにん, shiyōnin), 召使い (ja) (めしつかい, meshitsukai)
Javanese: réwang, réncang
Kazakh: даяшы (daäşy), малай (malai), қызметші (qyzmetşı) (also figuratively)
Khmer: អ្នកបំរើ (nĕək bɑmraə), សេវកៈ (km) (seevaʼkaʼ), បាវ (km) (baaw) (female), ព្រាវ (km) (priəw)
Korean: 하인(下人) (ko) (hain), 머슴 (ko) (meoseum), 사용인(使用人) (ko) (sayong'in)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: benî (ku), kole (ku), noker (ku)
Kyrgyz: кызматчы (ky) (kızmatcı), кул (ky) (kul), малай (ky) (malay)
Lao: ຂະຍົມ (kha nyom), ຂ້າ (lo) (khā), ບ່າວ (lo) (bāo)
Latin: minister m, ministra f, famulus m, famula f
Latvian: kalps m, kalpone f, sulains m
Lithuanian: tarnas m
Macedonian: слу́га m (slúga), слу́жител m (slúžitel), служи́телка f (služítelka)
Malay: hamba (ms), khadam
Maltese: qaddej m, seftur m
Maore Comorian: mutru wa hazi class 1/2
Maori: hāwini, tūmau
Middle English: serjaunt, servaunt
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: зарц (mn) (zarc)
Mongolian: ᠵᠠᠷᠤᠴᠠ (ǰaruča)
Navajo: naalʼaʼí
Norwegian:
Bokmål: tjener (no) m
Occitan: sirvent (oc) m
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: слоуга m (sluga), слоужитель m (služitelĭ)
Old Czech: sluha m
Old East Slavic: слуга m (sluga)
Old English: þeġn m
Ottoman Turkish: اوشاق (uşak), خدمتجی (hizmetçi); عیواض (ʼayvaz) (cook-servant in large mansions)
Pali: sevaka m
Pannonian Rusyn: слуга m (sluha), служнїца f (služnjica)
Pashto: خدمتګار m (xedmatgār), نوکر (ps) m (nokár), خادم (ps) m (xādém)
Persian:
Dari: خِدْمَتْکَار (xidmatkār), نَوْکَر (nawkar), خَادِم (xādim), چَاکَر (čākar), مُلَازِم (mulāzim)
Iranian Persian: خِدْمَتْکار (xedmatkâr), نُوْکَر (nowkar), خادِم (xâdem), چاکِر (čâker), مُلازِم (molâzem)
Plautdietsch: Deena m
Polish: służący (pl) m pers, służąca (pl) f, sługa (pl) m
Portuguese: empregado (pt) m, criado (pt) m, serviçal (pt) m or f
Romanian: servitor (ro) m, slugă (ro) f, slujitor (ro) m
Russian: слуга́ (ru) m (slugá), служа́нка (ru) f (služánka), прислу́жник (ru) m (prislúžnik), прислу́жница (ru) f (prislúžnica) (dated), служи́тель (ru) m (služítelʹ), служи́тельница (ru) f (služítelʹnica) (dated)
Sanskrit: सेवक (sa) m (sevaka), सेविका (sa) f (sevikā), भृत्य (sa) m (bhṛtya)
Scottish Gaelic: searbhanta m or f, seirbhiseach m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: слу́га m, слу̀жа̄вка f, слу̏шкиња f
Roman: slúga (sh) m, slùžāvka (sh) f, slȕškinja (sh) f
Sicilian: criatu (scn) m (mostly female), servu (scn) m
Slovak: sluha m, slúžka f
Slovene: služabnik (sl) m, služabnica f, sluga m, služkinja f
Spanish: sirviente (es) m, criado (es) m, mozo (es) m, doméstico (es) m, empleado (es) m
Swahili: mtumishi (sw)
Swedish: betjänt (sv) c, tjänare (sv) c
Tajik: хизматгор (tg) (xizmatgor), пешхизмат (pešxizmat), чокар (čokar), навкар (tg) (navkar)
Tarifit: tayya f
Tatar: хезмәтче (tt) (xezmätçe)
Thai: ข้า (th) (kâa), บ่าว (th) (bàao), ภัจ (pát), คนรับใช้ (th) (kon-ráp-chái), เสวก (th) (sěe-wók), คนใช้ (th) (kon-chái), ภฤตย์ (th) (prʉ́t)
Tibetan: བྲན་གཡོག (bran g.yog)
Tigrinya: ከዳሚ m (kädami)
Tocharian B: mañiye ? (male), mañiya ? (female)
Turkish: hizmetçi (tr), uşak (tr), kul (tr)
Turkmen: gullukçy, hyzmatkär, gul, çory f
Ukrainian: слуга́ m (sluhá), служни́ця f (služnýcja)
Urdu: نَوکَر m (naukar), چاکَر m (cākar), نَوکَرانی f (naukarānī), خادِم m (xādim), مُلازِم m (mulāzim)
Uyghur: خىزمەتچى (xizmetchi), مالاي (malay)
Uzbek: xizmatkor (uz), malay (uz)
Venetan: servidór m, famegio m, besariòl m
Vietnamese: đầy tớ (vi), người hầu (vi)
Yiddish: דינסט n (dinst), קנעכט m (knekht), באַדינער m (badiner), באַדינערטע f (badinerte) :
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Verb

servant (third-person singular simple present servants, present participle servanting, simple past and past participle servanted)
* (obsolete, transitive) To subject.
** c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:Wife, Mother, Child, I know not. My affaires Are Seruanted to others […]

### References

* “servant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

### Anagrams

* starven, taverns, versant

## French
### Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French servant, a substantivized present participle of servir. Cf. also Latin serviens, and French sergent.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛʁ.vɑ̃/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: ser‧vant

### Participle

servant
* present participle of servir

### Noun

servant m (plural servants, feminine servante)
* servant

#### Derived terms

* chevalier servant
* servant de messe

#### Related terms

* serveur
* serveuse

### Further reading

* “servant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* versant

## Latin
### Verb

servant
* third-person plural present active indicative of servō

## Middle English
### Noun

servant
* Alternative form of servaunt

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Noun

servant m (definite singular servanten, indefinite plural servanter, definite plural servantene)
* a washbasin
* a sink

#### Synonyms

* vask
* vaskeservant

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Noun

servant m (definite singular servanten, indefinite plural servantar, definite plural servantane)
* a washbasin
* a sink

#### Synonyms

* vaskeservant

## Old French
### Verb

servant
* present participle of servir

### Adjective

servant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular servant or servante)
* that serves; that fulfils a role

### Noun

servant oblique singular, m (oblique plural servanz or servantz, nominative singular servanz or servantz, nominative plural servant)
* servant (one who serves)

#### Descendants

* French: servant
* → Middle English: servaunt
** English: servant (dialectal sarvant)
** Scots: servant, sairvant, servan