What is the Latin word for serve?

The usual Latin words for “serve” are veneror, mīlitāris, mereō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“serve” in Latin

venerorto worship, adore, revere, venerate; to pay (one's) respects mīlitārisOf a soldier: soldierly; or of the military: martial.; Of or pertaining to war.; Warlike.mereōto deserve, merit; to earn, get, obtain, acquire; to serve, to render service to (with ablative of the person or thing i

The English word serve itself goes back to Latin servus, through serviō.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

serve

To render service, servire alicui or apud aliquem (especially as a slave): alicui famulari, ex alicujus famulatu esse, in famulatu or in ministerio alicujus esse, ministerium alicui facere (as a servant for hire): in alicujus operis esse, operam suam alicui locavisse (to be a day-laborer): alicui apparere (as a secretary, or magistrate’s officer): alicui or alicujus rebus adesse (in a court of justice, as an advocate; opposed to alicui abesse): aliquem colere, venerari (to serve with reverence; as, God): militare: merere; stipendia facere or merere (mereri); stipendia merere in bello (to do military service). To serve on horseback, on foot, equo (equis), pedibus merere; equo (equis), pedibus stipendia facere (merere). To serve for pay, mercede apud aliquem militare: to serve under anybody, aliquo imperatore or imperante, sub aliquo merere; sub aliquo or sub signis alicujus militare; alicujus castra sequi. To serve with anybody, militare cum aliquo; cum aliquo in castris esse: we have served together, eum commilitonem habui; simul militavimus. He had served thirty-five years, quinque et triginta stipendia fecerat: to serve out one’s time, emereri (general term): stipendia conficere or emereri (of soldiers): to have already served out his year, annuum tempus jam emeritum habere: to have served out one’s time, rude donatum esse (PROP., of gladiators; then figuratively and facete also of others, Hor., Ep., 1, 1, 2, Schmid.): stipendiis or militia functum esse (of soldiers).

To show favors or civil attentions to anybody, alicui servire, deservire, inservire; alicui adesse, praesto esse (to assist, to be ready to help in time of need): alicui gratum facere, gratificari (to show kindness to anybody): to serve one in anything, aliquem juvare aliqua re (to help with anything): commodare alicui aliquid (to lend).

To be useful to or for anything, esse (with a dative; also with a genitive of the participle future passive, and of a substantive): prodesse (to be good for anything): usui or ex usu esse, utilem esse (to be useful or serviceable): utilitatem habere or afferre (to have or bring advantage): conducere, juvare (to be conducive, to aid): valere contra aliquid, mederi alicui rei, facere ad aliquid (to be of service as a remedy against anything; of medicines): to serve as an alleviation, levationem facere; levamentum praestare

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for serve?: The usual Latin words for “serve” are veneror, mīlitāris, mereō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.