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.

servĭo, īvi and ii, ītum, 4 (imperf. servibas, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 50; fut. servibo, id. Men. 5, 9, 42; id. Merc. 3, 2, 3; Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 45: servibit, Plaut. Pers. 4, 4, 76; id. Trin. 2, 2, 27), v. n. (once pass., v. I. B. infra) [servus], to be a servant or slave, to serve, be in service (freq. and class.).

  1. I. Lit.
          1. (α) Absol.: Ha. Quid tu, servusne es, an liber? Ps. Nunc quidem etiam servio, Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 16: nunc qui minus servio, quam si forem serva nata? id. Rud. 1, 3, 37: in liberatā terrā liberatores ejus servire, Liv. 34, 50: per centum annos, id. 39, 37, 5: an addictus, quem lex servire, donec solverit, jubet, servus sit, Quint. 7, 3, 26: qui Libertate caret, Serviet aeternum, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 41: servire liberaliter, Ter. And. 1, 1, 11: serviet utiliter (captivus), Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 70 et saep.: servire juste (opp. injuste imperare), Cic. Rep. 3, 18, 28; id. Phil. 6, 7, 19: vincti per centum annos servistis, Liv. 39, 37: servit vetus hostis Cantaber, serā domitus catenā, Hor. C. 3, 8, 21.
          2. (β) With dat. of the person to whom service is rendered, to be enslaved to, to serve: justum est, tuos tibi servos tuo arbitratu serviat, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 71: lenoni, Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 33: servitum tibi me abducito, ni fecero, Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 105: venire in eum locum, ubi parendum alteri et serviendum sit, Cic. Rab. Post. 8, 22; cf.: sive regi sive optimatibus serviant, id. Rep. 1, 35, 55: ut hoc populorum intersit, utrum comi domino an aspero serviant, etc., id. ib. 1, 33, 50: Athenas victas Lacedaemoniis servire pati, Nep. Alcib. 9, 4: minata, Servitura suo Capitolia nostra Canopo, Ov. M. 15, 827.
          3. (γ) With apud: tam ille apud nos servit, quam ego nunc hic apud te servio, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 62: filius meus illi apud vos servit captus in Alide, id. ib. 2, 2, 80: hoc pacto apud te serviam, id. Aul. 1, 1, 12: apud lenonem, id. Poen. 4, 2, 87: si quis apud nos servisset, etc., Cic. de Or. 1, 40, 182.
          4. (δ) With homogeneous object: servitutem: qui in servitute est eo jure, quo servus, aut, ut antiqui dixerunt, qui servitutem servit, Quint. 7, 3, 26: tu usque a puero servitutem servivisti in Alide, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 12: quorum majorum nemo servitutem servivit, Cic. Top. 6, 29; id. Mur. 29, 61: qui (cives) servitutem servissent, Liv. 40, 18, 7; 45, 15, 5: neque erile negotium plus curat quam si non servitutem serviat, Plaut. Mil. 2, 6, 2; 3, 1, 150 (not servitute, v. Ritschl ad h. l.).
            So with dat. of person: me servitutem servire huic homini optumo, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 31; id. Aul. 4, 1, 6; id. Rud. 3, 4, 42; cf.: sed is privatam servitutem servit illi an publicam? id. Capt. 2, 2, 84 (v. infra, II.): ego haud diu: ab ineunte adulescentiā tuis servivi servitutem imperiis, id. Trin. 2, 2, 21; and with apud: apud hunc servitutem servio, id. Mil. 2, 1, 17.
    1. B. Pass. (perh. only in the foll. passage): adsuescamus … servis paucioribus serviri, Sen. Tranq. 9, 3.
  2. II. In gen., with dat. of object (a person or thing), to be devoted or subject to; to be of use or service to; to serve for, be fit or useful for; to do a service to, to comply with, gratify, humor, accommodate; to have respect to, to regard or care for; to consult, aim at, to accommodate one’s self to, etc. (so esp. freq. in Cic.; cf.: pareo, appareo, ministro): tibi servio atque audiens sum imperii, Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 25; Cic. Div. in Caecil. 15, 48: quoniam sibi (rei publicae) servissem semper, numquam mihi … ut jam mihi servirem, consulerem meis, id. Planc. 38, 92; cf.: servire populo, id. ib. 4, 11; id. Fin. 5, 9, 27 et saep.: cum is, qui imperat aliis, servit ipse nulli cupiditati, id. Rep. 1, 34, 52; cf.: cum homines cupiditatibus iis, quibus ceteri serviunt, imperabunt, id. Lael. 22, 82: aetati hujus, id. Fin. 5, 9, 27: mori alicujus, Nep. Them. 1, 3: semper aut belli aut pacis serviit artibus, Vell. 1, 13, 3: amori aliorum flagitiosissime, Cic. Cat. 2, 4, 8: auribus alicujus, Caes. B. C. 2, 27: bello, id. B. G. 7, 34: brevitati, Cic. de Or. 2, 80, 327: commodis alicujus, id. Rep. 1, 4, 8; id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 8, § 24; id. Inv. 2, 45, 132: rei publicae commodis, id. Div. in Caecil. 20, 64; cf.: compendio suo privato, Caes. B. C. 3, 32: constantiae, Cic. Fam. 5, 16, 5: dignitati (with consulere rei publicae), id. Sest. 10, 23: dolori meo, id. ib. 6, 14: existimationi, id. Verr. 1, 10, 29; id. Att. 5, 11, 5: famae, id. ib. 5, 10, 2: gloriae, id. Tusc. 5, 3, 9: gravitati vocum aut suavitati, id. Or. 54, 182: vel honori multorum vel periculo (with obedire tempori), id. Brut. 69, 242: indulgentiae, id. Cael. 32, 79: iracundiae (with parere dolori), id. Prov. Cons. 1, 2: laudi et gloriae, id. Cat. 1, 9, 23: laudi existimationique, id. Verr. 2, 1, 2, § 5: numeris (orationis), id. Or. 52, 176: oculis civium, id. Phil. 8, 10, 29: pecuniae, id. Tusc. 5, 3, 9: personae, id. Off. 3, 29, 106: petitioni, id. Verr. 1, 9, 24: posteritati, id. Tusc. 1, 15, 35: rei familiari, id. Rosc. Am. 15, 43; cf. rei, Ter. Hec. 2, 1, 27: rumori, Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 14; Caes. B. G. 4, 5 fin.: tempori, Cic. Sest. 6, 14; id. Tusc. 3, 27, 66; id. Att. 8, 3, 6; 10, 7, 1: utilitati salutique, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 9, § 27: valetudini, id. Fam. 16, 18, 1: vectigalibus, id. de Or. 2, 40, 171: venustati vel maxime, id. ib. 2, 78, 316; 2, 80, 327: verbis praecedentibus, Quint. 9, 4, 63.
    Pass. impers.: ut communi utilitati serviatur, Cic. Off. 1, 10, 31: concisum est ita, ut non brevitati servitum sit, sed magis venustati, id. de Or. 2, 80, 327.
          1. (β) With homogeneous object (cf. supra, I. δ): ab ineunte adulescentiā Tuis servivi servitutem imperiis et praeceptis, pater … Meum animum tibi servitutem servire aequom censui, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 21 sqq.
    1. B. Transf., of things.
      1. 1. In gen., to help, assist, be serviceable to, be useful for (post-Aug.): ut totus truncus alienigenis surculis serviat, Col. 4, 29, 14; cf.: tabularia debent servire gallinis, id. 6, 3, 2: chartis serviunt calami, Plin. 16, 36, 64, § 157: candelae luminibus et funeribus serviunt, id. 16, 37, 70, § 178: eademque materia et cibis et probris serviat, id. 33, 12, 54, § 152: laetor quod domus aliquando C. Cassi, serviet domino non minori, Plin. Ep. 7, 24, 8.
      2. 2. Esp., jurid. t. t., of buildings, lands, etc., to be subject to a servitude: praedia, quae serviebant, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 9; so, aedes, id. Off. 3, 16, 67: neque servire quandam earum aedium partem in mancipi lege dixisset, id. de Or. 1, 39, 178: eodem numero (incorporalium) sunt et jura praediorum urbanorum et rusticorum, quae etiam servitutes vocantur, Gai. Inst. 2, 14 fin.; Paul. Sent. 1, 17; cf. Dig. 8, 2, 20, §§ 3 and 5; 8, 6, 8, § 1 al.; and v. servitus, II. B., and servus, II.

servĭtĭum, ii, n. [servus].

  1. I. In abstr., the condition of a slave or servant, slavery, servitude (not so in Cic., who has servitus).
    1. A. Lit.: hoc tibi pro servitio debeo, as your servant, * Ter. And. 4, 1, 52: cum secum ipse reputaret, quam gravis casus in servitium ex regno foret, Sall. J. 62, 9: neque desistam abstrahere a servitio civitatem nostram, Brut. ap. Cic. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 16, 9: militibus nostris Jugurthae servitium minari, Sall. J. 94, 4: genus servitii insolitum, id. H. 2, 81 Dietsch: servitii pretium, id. ib. 3, 61, 20; 3, 61, 1; 4, 61, 11: ductus ab creditore in servitium, Liv. 2, 23, 6: justum pati servitium (just before: regia servitus), id. 41, 6, 9: cum domus Assaraci Phthiam Servitio premet, Verg. A. 1, 285: aliquem servitio levare, to free from slavery, Hor. S. 2, 5, 99: servitio exire, Verg. E. 1, 41: servitium subire, Ov. Tr. 4, 6, 8.
    2. B. Transf., in gen., servitude or subjection of any kind: animi imperio, corporis servitio magis utimur, Sall. C. 1, 2: illi etiam tauros primi docuisse feruntur Servitium, Tib. 2, 1, 41; 2, 4, 1; Ov. A. A. 3, 488; cf. Verg. G. 3, 168; Col. 8, 8, 4: qui servitium (amoris) ferre fatentur, Ov. Am. 1, 2, 18: tanto infensius servitium, Tac. A. 1, 81 fin.
  2. II. In concr., a body of servants, the class of slaves (collect.; class. in sing. and plur.).
          1. (α) Sing.: ita nunc servitium’st, such are servants nowadays, Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 21: Lycurgus agros locupletium plebi, ut servitio, colendos dedit, Cic. Rep. 3, 9, 16: ut a servitio caveremus (cf. just before: examina tanta servorum immissa in populum Romanum), id. Har. Resp. 12, 25: nulline motus in Siciliā servorum Verre praetore … facti esse dicuntur? … coeptum esse in Siciliā moveri aliquot locis servitium suspicor, id. Verr. 2, 5, 4, § 9: ex omni faece urbis ac servitio, id. Pis. 4, 9: calonum servitiique tertia (pars), Vell. 2, 82, 3; cf.: servitii decem milia offerebat, Tac. A. 12, 17: qui (gladiatores) e servitio Blaesi erant, id. ib. 1, 23 et saep.
          2. (β) Plur.: servitia ad caedem et inflammandam urbem incitavit, Cic. Cael. 32, 78: vincula soluta sunt et servitia incitata, id. Leg. 3, 11, 25: opera facessant, servitia sileant, id. Fl. 38, 97; Sall. C. 24, 4; 46, 3; 50, 1; 56, 5; id. J. 66, 1; Liv. 2, 10; 6, 12; 28, 11; Col. 11, 1, 3 et al.
    1. B. Transf., of drones among bees: sunt autem fuci … quasi servitia verarum apium, Plin. 11, 11, 11, § 27.
      1. 2. = servi, servants as individuals: servitia regum superborum, Liv. 2, 10, 8: inopia servitiorum, id. 28, 11, 9: dilapsis etiam infimis servitiorum, Tac. H. 3, 84.