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Where does the word "servile" come from? It comes from Latin servilis, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "servile" come from? It comes from Latin servilis, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).
Servile’s story begins in Latin: servilis meant “slavish.” From 'servus', slave. It reached English by 1300s as servile. The sense 'excessively obedient' dates from the 1500s. Today, servile means excessively willing to please.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient servilis "slavish", from 'servus', slave.
- Stage 2 · English · 1300s servile "of slaves", the sense 'excessively obedient' dates from the 1500s.