< Reconstruction:Proto-Italic

Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/serwos

This Proto-Italic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Italic

Etymology

Apparently from Proto-Indo-European *ser- + *-wos, but the exact sense of the root *ser- from which *serwos derives is uncertain. Either:

  • “to bind”, in the sense “one who is bound (in duty/labor)”, or originally denoting a physical binding;
  • “to guard”, thus perhaps originally meaning one whose job it is to protect. This seems to be the commonly favored sense;[1]
  • “to plunder”, based on the assumption that the Latin sense of “slave” is original and those taken captive in war were converted to servants.

See *ser- for the various senses.

Noun

*serwos m

  1. guardian? (meaning uncertain)

Declension

o-stemDeclension of *serwos (o-stem)
case singular plural
nominative *serwos *serwōs, serwoi
vocative *serwe *serwōs, serwoi
accusative *serwom *serwons
genitive *serwosjo, serwī *serwom
dative *serwōi *serwois
ablative *serwōd *serwois
locative *serwei *serwois

Derived terms

  • *serw-jō (4th-conjugation verb)
    • Latin: serviō
    • Umbrian: 𐌑𐌄𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌖 (seritu, 3sg. imperative)

Descendants

  • Latin: servus (see there for further descendants)

References

  1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 559
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