English
serviceable
Serviceable comes from Old French servise ‘service’, from Latin servus ‘a slave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser-wo-s ‘guardian’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ser-wo-s‘guardian’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*serwos‘guardian’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEservos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEservus‘a slave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEservitium‘slavery, servitude’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400servise‘service’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400servisable
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500servisable‘Obedient, happy to serve’
- Englishearliest quotation 1719serviceable
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ser-wo-s‘guardian’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*serwos‘guardian’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEservos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEservus‘a slave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEservitium‘slavery, servitude’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400servise‘service’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400servisable
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500servisable‘Obedient, happy to serve’
- Englishearliest quotation 1719serviceable
Earliest quotation: 1719, The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Cruso: “I employed myself in making, as well as I…”
Equivalent to service + -able
Proto-Italic *serwos ‘guardian’
…
Latin servitium ‘slavery’
Old French servise ‘service’
Old English serfis
Middle English servise ‘the state of being employed’
English service
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ser- ‘watch over, protect’
series, sort, hero, stream, desert, insert, assertion, sermon, heresy, exert, concierge, assertive, sorcery, sorcerer, heretic, sark, strudel, sere, 32 more
through Proto-Italic *serwos ‘guardian’
through Old Latin servos
through Latin servus ‘a slave’
serve, conservative, reservoir, conservatism, observant, servitude, conservator, serf, 10 more
Today it means
adj Easy to service.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ser-wo-s / serviceable