Definizione monolingua

serve

serve (third-person singular simple present serves, present participle serving, simple past and past participle served)

1. (transitive) To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity. [from 12th c.]
   • 1889, Philip Schaff, translating St Chrysostom, Homilies, XIV:

     And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve.

2. (transitive) To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by. [from 13th c.]
   • 1716, Joseph Addison, The Drummer:

     And, truly, Mrs Abigail, I must needs say, I served my master contentedly while he was living, but I will serve no man living (that is, no man that is not living) without double wages.

   • 1979, Bob Dylan, ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’:

     You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief, / They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief / But youre gonna have to serve somebody.

3. (transitive) To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc. [from 13th c.]
   • 2007, Larry McMurty, When the Light Goes:

     That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad.

4. (transitive, archaic) To treat (someone) in a given manner. [from 13th c.]
   • 1924, H Rider Haggard, Belshazzar:

     I mock them all who have served me ill of late and chiefly this cheat of Judah, whose temple we have plundered and whose golden vessels are my wash-pots.

5. (intransitive) To be a servant or worker; to perform the duties of a servant or employee; to render service. [from 14th c.]
   • 1673, John Milton, ‘On his Blindness’:

     They also serve who only stand and wait.

6. (transitive, archaic) To be suitor to; to be the lover of. [from 14th c.]
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene, III.7:

     That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue.

7. (transitive) To be useful to; to meet the needs of. [from 14th c.]
   • 2010, Lloyd Marcus, The Guardian, 12 Oct 2010:

     So, while the sycophantic liberal media calls any and all opposition to Obama racist, they give Obama carte blanche to exploit his race whenever it serves his purpose.

8. (intransitive) To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something. [from 14th c.]
   • 2011, ""Borgata bust"", The Economist, 27 Jan 2011:

     The bust also served to remind the public that the Mafia is not harmless.

9. (intransitive) To usefully take the place as, instead of something else. [from 14th c.]
   • 2010, ""Not up in the air"", The Economist, 20 Apr 2010:

     Maybe the volcanic eruption will serve as a wake-up call to such companies that they need to modernise their risk management.

10. (transitive) To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person. [from 15th c.]
    • 2009, Dominic A Pacyga, Chicago: A Biography, p. 195:

      About twenty minutes after waiters served the soup, a guest got up and left.

11. (transitive, law) To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.). [from 15th c.]
    • 2008 Colloff, Pamela, The Fire That Time, Texas Monthly; Austin: Emmis Publishing, April 2008, p. 158:

      On the morning of February 28, 1993, ATF agents gathered at a staging area near Waco and prepared to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidians residence.

12. (transitive, law) To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)

    to serve a witness with a subpoena.

13. (intransitive) To be in military service. [from 16th c.]
    • 2007, Peter Walker, The Guardian, 16 May 2007:

      Some reports suggested he would quit the army if he was not allowed to serve abroad in a war zone.

14. (transitive, intransitive, sports) To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc. [from 16th c.]
    • 2007, Rob Antoun, Womens Tennis Tactics, page 2

      In womens tennis the need to serve more effectively has become greater in recent years because the game is being played more aggressively, and rallies are becoming shorter as a result.

15. (transitive) To copulate with (of male animals); to cover. [from 16th c.]
    • 1996, Puck Bonnier et al., Dairy Cattle Husbandry, Agromisa Foundation 2004:

      Conception means that a cow is served by a bull and that she becomes pregnant.

16. (transitive, military) To work, to operate (a weapon). [from 18th c.]
    • 1864, Horace Greeley, The American Conflict:

      John T. Greble, of the 2d regular artillery, was likewise killed instantly by a ball through the head, while serving his gun in the face of the foe.

17. (transitive) To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence). [from 19th c.]
    • 2010, Tania Branigan, The Guardian, 1 Dec 2010:

      The Guangzhou Daily reported that Shi Chunlong, 20, who organised the incident, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Hou Bin, who pulled out of the attack after helping to plan it, will serve 12 years.

serve (plural serves)

1. (sports) the act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games

   Whose serve is it?

2. (Australian) A portion of food, a serving

Definizione dizionario serve

servire

	fungere
	To perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function.

	servir
	To work for; to labor in behalf of.

alimentare

battuta

dare

distribuire

giovare

offrire

presentare

servizio

Altri significati:

(intransitive) To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or '''to do''' something. [from 14th c.]

(transitive) To be useful to; to meet the needs of. [from 14th c.]

serve (food)

(transitive) To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person. [from 15th c.]

(transitive, archaic) To treat (someone) in a given manner. [from 13th c.]

serve (a person)

to be in service

The first shot of a ball or a shuttle in a game to contest the next point.

serve (food, etc.)

(sports) the act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games

(transitive, law) To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)

(transitive, law) To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.). [from 15th c.]

to bring food to

(intransitive) To be a servant or worker; to perform the duties of a servant or employee; to render service. [from 14th c.]

(intransitive) To be in military service. [from 16th c.]

to be a servant

to be subordinate to

to be of use

(transitive, military) To work, to operate (a weapon). [from 18th c.]

serve (a meal)

(Australian) A portion of food, a serving

to spend time (of punishment)

(transitive) To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by. [from 13th c.]

(transitive, archaic) To be suitor to; to be the lover of. [from 14th c.]

pour (drink)

(transitive) To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity. [from 12th c.]

to work for

(transitive) To copulate with (of male animals); to cover. [from 16th c.]

to be suitor to

to attend, supply the wants of

sports: to lead off with first delivery (of the ball)

sports: act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play

to copulate (of animals)

(intransitive) To usefully take the place as, instead '''of''' something else. [from 14th c.]

(transitive) To wait upon (someone) at table; to set food and drink in front of, to help (someone) to food, meals etc. [from 13th c.]

to perform duties

(transitive, intransitive, sports) To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc. [from 16th c.]

(transitive) To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence). [from 19th c.]

religion: to obey and worship