Servant

Definitions: Servant

Servant

Noun

1. A person working in the service of another (especially in the household).

2. In a subordinate position; "theology should be the handmaiden of ethics"; "the state cannot be a servant of the church".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "servant" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Dream Interpretation

Literature

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Servant

Agent

Minister; (instrument); servant; representative; (commissioner), (deputy).

Bee, ant, working bee, termite, white ant; laboring oar, servant of all work, factotum.

Auxiliary

Aide-de-camp, secretary, clerk, associate, marshal; right-hand, right-hand man, Friday, girl Friday, man Friday, gopher, gofer; candle-holder, bottle-holder; handmaid; servant; puppet, cat's-paw, jackal.

Consignee

Negotiator, go-between; middleman; under agent, employe; servant; referee, arbitrator;. (judge).

Dissent

Interjection: God forbid! not for the world; I'll be hanged if; never tell me; your humble servant, pardon me.

Government

Office holder, official, occupant of a position; public servant, incumbent; winner.

Humility

Phrase: I am your obedient servant, I am your very humble servant; my service to you; da locum melioribus; parvum parva decent.

Refusal

Phrase: non possumus; your humble servant; bien oblige; not on your life; no way; not even if you beg on your knees.

Servant

Noun: subject, liegeman; servant, retainer, follower, henchman, servitor, domestic, menial, help, lady help, employe, attache; official.

Maid, maidservant; handmaid; confidente, lady's maid, abigail, soubrette; amah, biddy, nurse, bonne, ayah; nursemaid, nursery maid, house maid, parlor maid, waiting maid, chamber maid, kitchen maid, scullery maid; femme de chambre, femme fille; camarista; chef de cuisine,cordon bleu, cook, scullion, Cinderella; potwalloper; maid of all work, servant of all work; laundress, bedmaker; journeyman, charwoman; (worker); bearer, chokra, gyp, hamal, scout.

Attendant, squire, usher, page, donzel, footboy; train bearer, cup bearer; waiter, lapster, butler, livery servant, lackey, footman, flunky, flunkey, valet, valet de chambre; equerry, groom; jockey, hostler, ostler, tiger, orderly, messenger, cad, gillie, herdsman, swineherd; barkeeper, bartender; bell boy, boots, boy, counterjumper; khansamah, khansaman; khitmutgar; yardman.

Servility

Sycophant, parasite; toad, toady, toad-eater; tufthunter; snob, flunky, flunkey, yes-man, lapdog, spaniel, lickspittle, smell-feast, Graeculus esuriens, hanger on, cavaliere servente, led captain, carpet knight; timeserver, fortune hunter, Vicar of Bray, Sir-Pertinax, Max Sycophant, pickthank; flatterer; doer of dirty work; ame damnee, tool; reptile; slave; (servant); courtier; beat, dead beat, doughface , heeler, homme de cour, sponger, sucker, tagtail, truckler.

Similarity

Phrase: et sic de similibus; tel maitre tel valet; tel pere tel fils; like master, like servant; like father, like son; the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree; a chip off the old block

Crosswords: Servant

French (boy, conducing, follower, footman, gaga, gunner, knave, manservant, servant, server, sewer), Latin (guard, keep, preserve, protect, save, store, watch over), Romanian (servant).

Your humble servant, Semmi. (Coming to America; writing credit: David Sheffield)

You cannot pass I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; writing credit: Frances Walsh)

I am your servant! I am your servant! (The Mummy Returns; writing credit: Stephen Sommers)

He is a servant. (The Three Musketeers; writing credit: Alexandre Dumas père; George MacDonald Fraser)

Why building a mechanical British robot servant is no more crazy then that tie your wearing. (Clone High; writing credit: Damian Chapa)

And I'll be a servant to you (Biggest Part of Me; performing artist: Ambrosia)

Then you will find your servant is your master (Wrapped Around Your Finger; performing artist: The Police)

Money is an excellent servant, but a horrible master. (references; author: unknown)

The Servant (1963)

Servant of Mankind (1940)

Blondie Has Servant Trouble (1940)

Steel: Man's Servant (1938)

The Newlyweds' Servant (1927)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Servant of the Bones (reference)

• Servant of the Empire (reference)

• The Power of Servant Leadership: Essays (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Ordained Servant (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies

• Blondie Has Servant Trouble (reference)

• Servant (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Servant OF The King ( An Album For All Seasons) (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Drawing made circa 1865. The incomplete Nashville was surrendered to Union forces on 10 May 1865. The original drawing is in color. Written in pencil in its lower left is "Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy, with respectful regards, His Obdt. Servant, Thornton A. Jenkins, Commodore, U.S. Navy.". Credit: NAVY.

Man pointing gun at old man while woman presses servant bell. Credit: Library of Congress.

Servant conversing with seated woman in muff reading by fireplace. Credit: Library of Congress.

The servant in the house. Credit: Library of Congress.

Mr. Televox, the perfect servant, who is never late or insolent ... Credit: Library of Congress.

Phillis Wheatley, Negro servant to Mr. John Wheatley, of Boston. Credit: Library of Congress.

Servant quarters, Summerville, South Carolina, in rear of home. Credit: Library of Congress.

Melrose, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Mulatto servant on John Henry cotton plantation. Credit: Library of Congress.

Captain George, 4th Light Dragoons & servant. Credit: Library of Congress.

Captain Vam, friend & servant, 38th Regiment. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Thus the grass my horse has bit; the turfs my servant has cut; and the ore I have digged in any place, where I have a right to them in common with others, become my property, without the assignation or consent of any body. (Second Treatise of Government)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

She went on herself, to give that portion of time to an old servant who was married, and settled in Donwell.

The servant paused, doubtfully glancing from her charge to me, and then back again to the child.

Madame Magloire, however, their servant, grumbled a little.

But when he had passed the old servant on the landing and was again in the low narrow dark corridor he began to walk faster and faster.

And if thy poor devoted servant may But beg one favour at thy gracious hand, Thou dost confirm his happiness for ever.

It was about twelve at noon, and a servant brought in dinner.

I meet his servant come to draw water for his master, and our buckets as it were grate together in the same well.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Business

Furthermore, the sometimes poor service standards provided by service personnel in the food and hospitality industry results from management traditionally viewing them as "low-level" staff who fulfill a servant role and require minimum training. (references)

Civil Liberties

Togo

Although it is not necessary to be an accredited journalist to publish an editorial or opinion article, the Government may take reprisals if offended by published material, such as arresting or detaining the writer, or firing a civil servant. (references)

Algeria

Broad provisions in the new law provide for prison terms of between 2 and 24 months and fines ranging from $129 (10,000 dinars) to $6,494 (500,000 dinars) for "any person who insults a judge, a civil servant, or one of the representatives of public order with a word, a gesture, a threat, a piece of correspondence, a piece of writing or a drawing while they are exercising their profession, and does so with the intention of offending their honor, their authority, or the respect required of their profession." The law, as amended, provides the same punishments for anyone who "commits insult, contempt or defamation" directed at "Parliament or one of its chambers, tribunals, courts of justice, the People's National Army, or any other authority of public order." No journalist had been charged under the new law by year's end; however, the Government brought defamation cases against journalists during the year under the old provisions of the Penal Code. (references)

Economic History

Mauritania

Aristocrat and servant castes developed, yielding "white" (aristocracy) and "black" Moors (the enslaved indigenous class). (references)

Human Rights

Central African Republic

On May 28, USP guards killed Leon Banganzoni, a retired civil servant, his son, and his nephew. (references)

Burundi

In February 2000, a police officer allegedly tortured to death a domestic servant who insulted the officer's wife. (references)

Nepal

Human rights monitors express concern that the act vests too much discretionary power in the CDO, the highest-ranking civil servant in each of the country's 75 districts. (references)

Minorities

Indonesia

The Government has made some efforts to recruit more civil servants in Papua, and there has been some increase in the number of civil servant trainees in this province, despite a "no growth" policy in the civil service as a whole. (references)

Political Economy

Denmark

Rather, they have a Permanent Under Secretary (in some instances more than one), who is the highest-ranking civil servant within the ministry. (references)

TAIWAN

Teachers formed the first association in February of 1999. The Examination Yuan also recognized that civil servants have a right of association in its proposed "civil servant basic law," submitted to the Legislative Yuan in April 2000. Since taking power in May 2000, President Chen Shui-bian's administration has significantly eased restrictions on the right of association by recognizing six new island-wide labor federations, includingthe Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions, the Chinese Labor Unions Federation, and the National Trade Union Confederation, etc. (references)

Political Rights

Antigua and Barbuda

In May the Prime Minister appointed a woman to be Attorney General; 8 of the 14 permanent secretaries (the top civil servant positions in ministries) are women. (references)

Pakistan

An appointed civil servant administers these areas; an elected Northern Areas Council serves only in an advisory capacity and has no authority to change laws or to raise and spend revenue. (references)

Travel

Ghana

Some residences have detached servant quarters and large gardens as well as covered patios. (references)

Women

Indonesia

A government regulation stipulates that a male civil servant must receive the permission of his superior to take a second wife. (references)

Saudi Arabia

Some embassies of countries with large domestic servant populations maintain safehouses to which their citizens may flee to escape work situations that include forced confinement, withholding of food, beating and other physical abuse, and rape. (references)

Kuwait

Some employers physically abuse foreign women working as domestic servants, and, despite economic and social difficulties for a domestic servant who lodges a complaint, there are continuing reports of the rape of such women by male employers and male coworkers. (references)

Worker Rights

Mozambique

The German Government provided these funds to a civil servant who was accused of embezzling the money. (references)

Congo

Civil servant salaries remained very low, ranging between $5 (1,600 Congolese francs) and $25 (8,000 Congolese francs) per month. (references)

Malaysia

The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service (CUEPACS) is a federation of civil servant and teacher unions. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

A servant

Expressions using "servant": body servant ♦ Bond servant ♦ civil servant ♦ domestic servant ♦ faithfull old servant ♦ female servant ♦ girl servant ♦ hotel servant ♦ house servant ♦ i am your very humble servant ♦ i write myself your most obedient servant ♦ like servant ♦ maid servant ♦ male servant ♦ man servant ♦ officer's servant ♦ old servant ♦ public servant ♦ servant boy ♦ servant girl ♦ servant maid ♦ servant of all work ♦ servant of servants ♦ servant of the lord ♦ submissive servant ♦ your humble servant ♦ your most humble most obedient servant ♦ your obedient servant. Additional references.

Beginning with "servant": servant-girl, servant-keepers, servant-keeping, servant-maid, servant-maids, servant-maintained, servant-seller, servant-teachers.

Ending with "servant": body-servant, maid-servant, master-servant.

Containing "servant": civil-servant-type.

Afrikaan

bediende (attendant, boy, maid). (various references)

Albanian

shërbyes (boy, help, minister, myrmidon, page, retainer, service, servitor), vasal (dependant, dependent, feudatory, liege, liege man, vassal). (various references)

Arabic 

‏مستخدم (employee, hired, used), ‏لعبة (cat's paw, game, merry go round, play, plaything, poppet, tool, toy, vehicle), ‏وصيف (butler, groomsman, valet), ‏خادمة (bedder, charwoman, girl, help, maid, maidservant, servant maid, skivvy, slavey, wench, woman), ‏خادم (attendant, boy, factotum, flunkey, flunky, footman, knave, lackey, livery, man, manservant, menial, page, retainer, valet, vassal). (various references)

Bulgarian 

слуга (follower, footman, gossoon, knave, man, manservant, menial, myrmidon, peon, retainer, servitor, valet), служител (agent, functionary, minister), прислужник (attendant, house-boy, man, manservant, myrmidon, page, scout, servitor, sweeper). (various references)

Catalan

criada (maid). (various references)

Chinese 

�"�人 , 僕人 , 僕 , 佣 (commission, hire), 仆人, 仆 (fall prostrate), 价 (good, great, middleman, price), 廝 , �' (of Jiangxi province), 傭 (hire). (various references)

Czech

sluha (Famulus, manservant, menial, page, retainer, servitor, valet), služebník. (various references)

Danish

tjener (At your service!, attendant, boy, maid, waiter), knægt (attendant, boy). (various references)

Dutch

meid (girl, lass, maid, wench), dienstmeisje (maid), dienares (maid). (various references)

Esperanto

servisto (boy), servistino (maid). (various references)

Faeroese

tænari (attendant, lackey, waiter), húskallur (attendant), arbeiðskona (maid). (various references)

Farsi 

پیشخدمت (Bellboy), نوکر (Handyman, Help, Henchman, Lackey, Man, Manservant, Menial, Server, Valet, Yesman), خادم , خدمتکار (Chambermaid, Damosel, Damsel, Server), بنده (Slave, Vassal). (various references)

Finnish

valtion virkailija, palvelija (domestic, maid), palkollinen (hired man). (various references)

French

serviteur, servante (female servant, servant maid), domestique. (various references)

Frisian

feint (attendant, fiancé, youngster, youth), faam (bride, fame, fiancée, hearsay, maid, renown, repute, rumor, rumour, virgin), betsjinder (attendant, waiter). (various references)

German

Diener (attendant, butler, follower, manservant, menials, menservants, servants, server, servers, servitor, valet). (various references)

Greek 

υπηρέτρια (handmaid, maid, maid servant, servant girl, servant maid, wench). (various references)

Hebrew 

משרת (attendant, boy, factotum, flunkey, flunky, footman, manservant, official, servitor), עב�" (bondsman, serf, servitor, slave, thrall). (various references)

Hungarian

szolgálólány (girl, maidservant), szolga (attendant, footman, gillie, groom, gyp, henchman, henchmen, knave, like master like man, manservant, menial, myrmidon, servitor, skip, thrall, wallah), segéd (adjunct, assistant, auxiliary, coadjutor, Famulus, mate, walla, wallah). (various references)

Icelandic

þjónn (attendant, Waiter). (various references)

Indonesian

punakawan (disciple), pelayan (chamberlain maid, flunky, steward, usher), khadam, hamba (slave), budak (slave, youngster), abdi (slave). (various references)

Italian

servire (answer, attend, attend to, attendant, avail, be a steady customer, be of use, boy, deal, dish, dish out, handle, help, make use, operate, serve, to serve, use, wait). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

奴隷 (slave), 下郎 (menial, valet), 下僕 (your humble servant). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

ほうししゃ (minister), じゅうしゃ (attendant, follower, valet), けらい (retainer, retinue), �'ろう (menial, valet), �'ぼく (your humble servant), やっ�" (fellow), サーバント , めしつかい (menial), とう (and the like, be frozen over, building, cane, child, congeal, counter for large animals, engraving tool, et cetera, etc., foolishness, freeze, ground spider, knife, pagoda, party, place, rattan, saber, section, sickle, steal, sugar, sword, T'ang-Dynasty, to accuse, to ask, to charge, to question, tower, without regard to), ほう�"うに�" (employee), したばたらき (assistant, subordinate work), どれい (earthenwarebell, slave), どう (body, change, child, confusion, copper, foolishness, frame, how, how about, ibid., in what way, labor, motion, prefix to building meaning "magnificent", the said, the same, trunk, work), どひ (local rebels), ぬひ, してい (assignment, designation, janitor, messenger, pointing at, private residence, specification, teacher and student, youngpeople), しように�" (employee), しもべ (manservant), �"もの (accessories, small articles, young person). (various references)

Korean 

하인 (footman, Footmen). (various references)

Malay

pelayan (attendant, maid), jongos (attendant), babu (maid). (various references)

Manx

sharvaant (bearer, orderly, valet, vassal), geaman. (various references)

Maya

palitzil. (various references)

Norwegian

hushjelp (maid). (various references)

Papiamen

kriá (attendant, maid). (various references)

Pig Latin

ervantsay

Portuguese

criada (bint, chambermaid, girlfriend, help, housemaid, jade, lady's maid, maid, mail, servant maid, skivvy), servidor (attendant, boy, dependant, dependent, pursuivant, Valent), empregado (answer the door, appointed, clerk, employee, menial, perquisition, porter, shop assistant, waiter), criado (attendant, boy, cad, dependant, dependent, domestic, footman, gospel, groom, jackal, menial, minion, servitor, Valent, waiter). (various references)

Romanian

slugã (domestic, follower, menial), servitor (attendant, dependant, dependent, domestic, follower, footman, hind, man servant, menial, ministrant, retainer), servitoare (charwoman, daily, girl servant, help, housemaid, lass, maid, maid servant, maid-of-all-works, slavey), servant, rândaş (groom), jupâneasã (housekeeper, housemaid, townswoman, wife), funcţionar (clerk, employee, functionary, magistrate, officer, official), argat (hind), îngrijitoare (attendant, housekeeper). (various references)

Russian 

слуга (attendant, house-boy, man, manservant, retainer, servitor, valet, varlet). (various references)

Scottish

searbhanta (attendant, servant maid). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

sluga (ancillary, attendant, boy, footman, lackey, lacquey, menial, servitor, sice, understrapper), službenik (clerk, employee, incumbent, office bearer, office holder, official, service book), službenički (incumbent). (various references)

Spanish

criado (attendant, boy, fostering, gillie, Jack, kept, man, menial, peon, retainer, scout, server), criada (gal, girl, help, housemaid, maid, maidservant), sirviente (attendant), servidor (attender, manservant, server, vassal). (various references)

Sranan

diniman (attendant). (various references)

Swahili

mtumishi (attendant, boy). (various references)

Swedish

tjänare (attendant, boy, domestic, hello, hi, hi there, manservant, menial), betjänt (attendant, butler, flunk, footman, valet, yeoman), tjänarinna (maid). (various references)

Tagalog

katúlong (aid, assistant, attendant, helper), alil� (attendant). (various references)

Turkish

uşak (body servant, do all, domestic help, factotum, flunkey, flunky, footman, helper, henchman, lackey, man, manservant, myrmidon, pursuivant, retainer, servitor, valet, varlet, waiter), memur (civil servant, government employee, government official, incumbent, office bearer, office holder, officer, official, public servant, white collar, white collar worker), kul (creature, helot, slave, vassal), hizmetli (attendant, employee, follower, vassal), hizmetçi (charwoman, domestic, domestic help, domestic servant, factotum, handmaid, help, helper, housemaid, maid, maidservant, menial, servant maid, server, servitor, skivvy, slavey, waiting girl, waiting maid), hademe (care-taker, janitor, scout, skip). (various references)

Turkmen 

hyzmatkдr, gullukзy. (various references)

Ukranian 

слуга (ally, attendant, awaiter, boots, domestic, gyp, house-boy, man, menial, varlet, vassal), службовець (employee, officer, official), служитель (attender). (various references)

Vietnamese 

người hầu (domestic, lackey, lacquey, menial, satellite, server), người ở bầy tôi trung th� nh vật để dùng chứ không phải để thờ, người đầy tớ, cái coi l� phương tiện chứ đừng coi l� mục đích. (various references)

Welsh

gwas (boy, lad). (various references)

arad, erim, ir, ur. (various references)

ambactus, ancilla, ancillae, ancillam, ancillamque, ancillas, ancillasque, ancillis, ancula, anculus, calo, cliens, creatura, creaturae, creaturam, famuli, famulis, famulo, famulorum, famulos, famulum, famulus, minister, ministri, ministris, ministro, ministrorum, ministros, ministrum, puer, pueri, pueris, puero, puerorum, puerorumque, pueros, puerosque, puerum, serve, servi, servique, servis, servo, servorum, servos, servum, servumque, servus, vasallus, vernula. (various references)

cnapa, cniht. (various references)

ministralis, pagius. (various references)

menestrel, ministre. (various references)

laquais. (various references)