adj
Meaning 1
Excessively eager to please; obsequious.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
servile
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.
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UK: /ˈsɜː(ɹ)ˌvaɪl/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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US: /ˈsəɹ.vəl/
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US: /ˈsəɹˌvaɪl/
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CMU ARPABET: S ER1 V AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Slavish or submissive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- servile flattery servile obedience
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: abject
Antonyms: arrogant, authoritarian
adj
Meaning 3
Slavish or submissive.
Of or pertaining to slaves or slavery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: abject
Antonyms: arrogant, authoritarian
adj
Meaning 4
Not belonging to the original root.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
Examples
- a servile letter
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 5
Not sounded, but serving to lengthen the preceding vowel, like the e in tune.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
An element which forms no part of the original root.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A slave; a menial.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 8
submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- spoke in a servile tone
- the incurably servile housekeeper
- servile tasks such as floor scrubbing and barn work
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: unservile
History
Etymology
From Middle English servyle, from Old French servil, servile, from Latin servīlis, from servus (“slave”). By surface analysis, serve + -ile.
Across languages
Translations
51 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: робски (robski) — of or pertaining to a slave
- Finnish: orja- — of or pertaining to a slave
- French: servile — of or pertaining to a slave
- Galician: servil — of or pertaining to a slave
- German: sklavisch — of or pertaining to a slave
- Japanese: 奴隷の (dorei no) — of or pertaining to a slave
- Middle English: servyle — of or pertaining to a slave
- Portuguese: servil — of or pertaining to a slave
- Romanian: servil — of or pertaining to a slave
- Romanian: slugarnic — of or pertaining to a slave
- Russian: ра́бский (rábskij) — of or pertaining to a slave
- Spanish: servil — of or pertaining to a slave
- Swedish: slav- — of or pertaining to a slave
- Old Armenian: ցած (cʻac) — slavish or submissive
- Bulgarian: сервилен (servilen) — slavish or submissive
- Bulgarian: раболепен (rabolepen) — slavish or submissive
- Chinese Mandarin: 低三下四 (dīsānxiàsì) — slavish or submissive
- Finnish: alamainen — slavish or submissive
- Finnish: orjallinen — slavish or submissive
- Finnish: orjamainen — slavish or submissive
- Galician: servil — slavish or submissive
- German: sklavisch — slavish or submissive
- German: unterwürfig — slavish or submissive
- German: servil — slavish or submissive
- German: hündisch — slavish or submissive
- Greek: δουλικός (doulikós) — slavish or submissive
- Irish: moghach — slavish or submissive
- Irish: uiríseal — slavish or submissive
- Italian: servile — slavish or submissive
- Italian: adulatore — slavish or submissive
- Italian: leccapiedi — slavish or submissive
- Japanese: 卑屈な (hikutsu na) — slavish or submissive
- Latin: humilis — slavish or submissive
- Latin: obnoxius — slavish or submissive
- Latin: vernīlis — slavish or submissive
- Middle English: serviable — slavish or submissive
- Middle English: servisable — slavish or submissive
- Plautdietsch: dommbleed — slavish or submissive
- Polish: lokajski — slavish or submissive
- Polish: niewolniczy — slavish or submissive
- Polish: uniżony — slavish or submissive
- Portuguese: servil — slavish or submissive
- Russian: подобостра́стный (podobostrástnyj) — slavish or submissive
- Russian: раболе́пный (rabolépnyj) — slavish or submissive
- Russian: холо́пский (xolópskij) — slavish or submissive
- Spanish: servil — slavish or submissive
- Swedish: servil — slavish or submissive
- Swedish: devot — slavish or submissive
- Swedish: fjäskig — slavish or submissive
- Swedish: underdånig — slavish or submissive
- Ottoman Turkish: ذلیل (zelil) — slavish or submissive