servant

noun

ser·​vant ˈsər-vənt How to pronounce servant (audio)
: one that serves others
a public servant
especially : one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer
servanthood noun
servantless adjective

Examples of servant in a Sentence

the wealthy family had servants to clean and cook for them
Recent Examples on the Web And most of them remain anonymous, just workaday servants to the magic of moviemaking. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Katie Karel has great comic timing and steals all her scenes as the ever-wise servant Dorine. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 But in the movie, Rudolf’s affair with a servant is more subtly implied. Madeleine Kearns, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 The staff nominates Will Hooper for his servant's heart, dedication to our school, and outreach throughout the community. Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Feb. 2024 Grant would manumit his one enslaved servant, William Jones, in 1859. Harold Holzer, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2024 With a steep $1.4 million budget (roughly $25 million today), Cimarron has not aged well, at least in terms of its manifest-destiny politics, casual theft of Native American land and Black servant characters played for comic relief. Chris Nashawaty, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2024 Dominik Szot, executive coach focused on leaders' legacy, servant leader, global entrepreneur, founder/CEO of MIA, agile management mentor. Dominik Szot, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 As the use of servants declined, housewives became at once early adopters of new products meant to free them from drudgery and the corporate advertising that relentlessly defined them as household fixtures themselves. Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'servant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English servant, sarvaunt "person serving a master or lord, retainer, attendant," borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative from past participle of servir "to be in attendance on, serve entry 1"

Note: Compare sergeant.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of servant was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near servant

Cite this Entry

“Servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/servant. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

servant

noun
ser·​vant ˈsər-vənt How to pronounce servant (audio)
: one that serves others
especially : a person hired to perform household or personal services
Etymology

Middle English servant "servant," from early French servant (same meaning), from a form of servir "to serve," from Latin servire "to be a slave, serve," from servus "slave, servant" — related to serf see Word History at slave

Legal Definition

servant

noun
ser·​vant
: a person who serves others: as
a
: an individual who performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer
b
: a person in the employ and subject to the direction or control of an individual or company see also respondeat superior compare agent, master

More from Merriam-Webster on servant

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