Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

serva, ae, v. servus.

1. servus, a, um, adj. [referred by the ancients to servo: servi ex eo appellati sunt, quod imperatores servos vendere, ac per hoc servare, nec occidere solent, Just. Inst. 1, 3, 3; but prob. from root svar-; Lith. svaras, a weight; cf. Gr. ἕρμα; O. H. Germ. swari, burdensome; Germ. schwer, heavy; cf. also serius], slavish, servile, subject.

  1. I. In gen.
    1. A. With homo (= 2. servus; mostly ante-class.): non decet superbum esse hominem servom, Plaut. As. 2, 4, 64; id. Mil. 2, 6, 80; id. Stich. 1, 2, 1; 5, 4, 10; id. Ep. 1, 1, 58; 3, 1, 7; Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 62.
    2. B. With other subjects (not freq. till after the Aug. per.): octo milia liberorum servorumque capitum sunt capta, Liv. 29, 29: corpori, quod servum fortuna erat, vim fecit, id. 38, 24: Graeciae urbes servae et vectigales (opp. liberae), id. 34, 58: civitas, id. 25, 31: Lacedaemon, id. 34, 41: serva manus, Ov. F. 6, 558: o imitatores, servum pecus! Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 19: serva aqua, i. e. servorum, Ov. Am. 1, 6, 26; cf. Petr. 71: servam operam, linguam liberam herus me jussit habere, Plaut. Pers. 2, 4, 9: omnia non serva et maxime regna hostilia ducunt (Romani), Sall. H. 4, 61, 17 Dietsch: reges serva omnia et subjecta imperio suo esse velint, Liv. 37, 54; 42, 46: statu libera quicquid peperit, hoc servum heredis est, Dig. 40, 7, 16.
  2. II. Jurid. t. t., of buildings, lands, etc., liable to certain burdens, subject to a servitude: libera (praedia) meliore jure sunt quam serva, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 9: fundus, Dig. 8, 6, 6: aedes, ib. 8, 2, 35: area, ib. 8, 2, 34 al.; cf. servio, II. B., and servitus, II B.
    Hence,

2. servus (-ŏs), i, m., and serva, ae, f., a slave, servant, serf, serving-man; a female slave, maid-servant.

  1. A. Masc. (syn.: famulus, mancipium), Enn. ap. Non. 471, 19 (Com. v. 5 Vahl.); Cato ap. Gell. 10, 3, 17: servi, ancillae, id. ap. Fest. s. v. prohibere, p. 234 Müll.; cf.: Ulixes domi etiam contumelias servorum ancillarumque pertulit, Cic. Off. 1, 31, 113: servus armiger, Plaut. Cas. 2, 3, 39: dotalis, id. As. 1, 1, 72: frugi, id. Aul. 4, 1, 1: graphicus et quantivis pretii, id. Ep. 3, 3, 29: nequam et malus, id. Poen. 5, 2, 70: scelestus, infidelis, id. Trin. 2, 4, 126: peculiosus, id. Rud. 1, 2, 24: peculiaris, id. Capt. prol. 20: fallax, Ov. Am. 1, 15, 17: servus a pedibus, Cic. Att. 8, 5, 1: a manu, Suet. Caes. 74: aliquem servum sibi habere ad manum, Cic. de Or. 3, 60, 225: publici, public slaves, S. C. ap. Front. Aquaed. 100; Varr. ap. Gell. 13, 13, 4; Cic. Phil. 8, 8, 24; Liv. 9, 29 fin. et saep.; cf. Dig. 1, 5, 5.
    Prov.: quot servi, tot hostes, Sinn. Capito ap. Fest. s. v. quot, p. 261 Müll.; cf. Sen. Ep. 47, 3; Macr. S. 1, 11 med.
    Esp.: poenae servus, a slave of punishment, i. e. condemned to servile labor, Just. Inst. 1, 12, 3; Dig. 48, 19, 17.
    1. 2. Trop.: vidit enim eos, qui se judiciorum dominos dici volebant, harum cupiditatum esse servos, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 22, § 58: neque tam servi illi dominorum, quam tu libidinum, id. ib. 2, 4, 50, § 112: omnium libidinum servi, Plin. Ep. 8, 22, 1: adulescens libertorum suorum libertus servorumque servus, Vell. 2, 73, 1: servus potestatis, Cic. Cael. 32, 79; cf. also the doubtful reading: legum omnes servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus, id. Clu. 53, 146 (where B. and K. have omnes servimus).
  2. B. Fem. (mostly anteclass. for ancilla): servae sint istae an liberae, Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 62: ego serva sum, id. Cist. 4, 2, 99; id. Pers. 4, 4, 63; id. Poen. 5, 4, 31: serva nata, id. Rud. 1, 3, 37: servum servaque natum regnum occupasse, Liv. 1, 47 fin.: serva Briseis, Hor. C. 2, 4, 3 et saep.