Standard Lemma guide

self-service

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /sɛlfˈsɜː.vɪs/
  • General-American: /sɛlfˈsɜɹ.vɪs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)vɪs

1

noun

Meaning 1

The practice of serving oneself, usually when purchasing items.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: attributive, often, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: full-service

Broader terms: service

2

noun

Meaning 2

Masturbation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic, humorous, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

of or denoting an establishment (a restaurant or shop etc.) where customers serve themselves

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the practice of serving yourself (as in a grocery or cafeteria)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: service

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbh-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- Proto-Indo-European *ser-der.? Proto-Italic *serwos Latin servus Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin -itia Latin servitiumbor. Old French servisebor. Old English serfis Middle English servise English service English self-service From self- + service.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خِدْمَة ذَاتِيَّة — the practice of serving oneself
  • Belarusian: самаабслуго́ўванне (samaabsluhówvannje) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Bulgarian: самообслу́жване (samoobslúžvane) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Catalan: autoservei — the practice of serving oneself
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自助服務 /自助服务 (zìzhù fúwù) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自助 (zìzhù) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自我服務 /自我服务 (zìwǒ fúwù) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Czech: samoobsluha — the practice of serving oneself
  • Danish: selvbetjening — the practice of serving oneself
  • Dutch: zelfbediening — the practice of serving oneself
  • Finnish: itsepalvelu — the practice of serving oneself
  • French: self-service — the practice of serving oneself
  • French: libre-service — the practice of serving oneself
  • Galician: autoservizo — the practice of serving oneself
  • Georgian: თვითმომსახურება (tvitmomsaxureba) — the practice of serving oneself
  • German: Selbstbedienung — the practice of serving oneself
  • Greek: αυτοεξυπηρέτηση (aftoexypirétisi) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Hungarian: önkiszolgálás — the practice of serving oneself
  • Indonesian: swalayan — the practice of serving oneself
  • Irish: féinseirbhís — the practice of serving oneself
  • Irish: féinfhreastal — the practice of serving oneself
  • Italian: autoservizio — the practice of serving oneself
  • Italian: libero servizio — the practice of serving oneself
  • Italian: servisol — the practice of serving oneself
  • Italian: fai da te — the practice of serving oneself
  • Italian: tavola calda — the practice of serving oneself
  • Italian: self-service — the practice of serving oneself
  • Japanese: セルフサービス (serufu sābisu) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Japanese: セルフ (serufu) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Korean: 셀프 서비스 (selpeu seobiseu) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Korean: 셀프 (selpeu) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Lithuanian: savitarna — the practice of serving oneself
  • Macedonian: самопослужување (samoposlužuvanje) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Norwegian Bokmål: selvbetjent — the practice of serving oneself
  • Polish: samoobsługa — the practice of serving oneself
  • Portuguese: self-service — the practice of serving oneself
  • Portuguese: autosserviço — the practice of serving oneself
  • Portuguese: livre-serviço — the practice of serving oneself
  • Russian: самообслу́живание (samoobslúživanije) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Serbo-Croatian: самопослужи́ва̄ње — the practice of serving oneself
  • Serbo-Croatian: samoposlužívānje — the practice of serving oneself
  • Slovak: samoobsluha — the practice of serving oneself
  • Spanish: autoservicio — the practice of serving oneself
  • Spanish: self-service (selfservis) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Swedish: självbetjäning — the practice of serving oneself
  • Ukrainian: самообслуго́вування (samoobsluhóvuvannja) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Ukrainian: самообслу́га (samoobslúha) — the practice of serving oneself
  • Vietnamese: tự phục vụ — the practice of serving oneself