LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

servus1

servus m (genitive servī, feminine serva)
Classical[ˈsɛr.wʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈsɛr.vus]
№ 496 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. masculinea slave
    Quem patrem, qui servos est?Father! What do you mean, when he’s a slave?Captivi ("the captives") by Plautus (English and Latin text)
  2. masculinea serf
  3. masculinea servant

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

homō nōn līber, quī dominō labōrat; in tabulā servus ligna in culīnam portat.
servus -ī m — in Mille Verba, Domus et Familia
a slave
servus — in Seneca, ch. V

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Servus · Famulus · Mancipium · Minister · Ancilla · Servitus · Servitium

1. Servus, ancilla, famulus, and mancipium, denote a servant who is not free, a slave; minister, one who is free, or only in subordination. Plin. Ep. x. 97. Ancillæ, quæ ministræ dicebantur; that is, in Christian assemblies. 2. Servus (from εἴρερος) means a slave, in a political and juridical sense, as in a state of subjugation, in opp. to dominus, Cic. Verr. iv. 50, like δοῦλος and δμώς; famulus (χαμαλός?) in a patriarchal sense, as belonging to and part of the family, in opp. to herus, Cic. Off. ii. 7, like οἰκέτης; mancipium, in an economical sense, as a possession and marketable commodity, like ἀνδράποδον. 3. Serva means a female slave, with especial reference to her legal condition; ancilla, in ordinary life, as the feminine of servus. Servitus denotes slavery, quite indifferently, as a regular, natural, legal state; whereas servitium, either with contempt or compassion, as an irregular, compulsory, ignominious state. Most prose writers, however, use servitus merely as the abstract; servitium, and especially servitia, as the concrete term for servi. (v. 136.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeservusservī
genitiveservīservōrum
dativeservōservīs
accusativeservum
servom		servōs
ablativeservōservīs
vocativeserveservī

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

agere servum, lenonem
to act the rôle of a slave, pander.
frugi (opp. nequam) servus
a good, useful slave.
de servis quaerere (in dominum)
to examine slaves by torture.
infima fortuna or condicio servorum
a degraded, servile condition.

servus (-ŏs), i, m., and serva, ae, f.,
I. a slave, servant, serf, serving-man; a female slave, maid-servant.
A. Masc. (syn.: famulus, mancipium), Enn. ap. Non. 471, 19 (Com. v. 5 Vahl.); Cato ap. Gell. 10, 3, 17: servi, ancillae, id. ap. Fest. s. v. prohibere, p. 234 Müll.; cf.: Ulixes domi etiam contumelias servorum ancillarumque pertulit, Cic. Off. 1, 31, 113: servus armiger, Plaut. Cas. 2, 3, 39: dotalis, id. As. 1, 1, 72: frugi, id. Aul. 4, 1, 1: graphicus et quantivis pretii, id. Ep. 3, 3, 29: nequam et malus, id. Poen. 5, 2, 70: scelestus, infidelis, id. Trin. 2, 4, 126: peculiosus, id. Rud. 1, 2, 24: peculiaris, id. Capt. prol. 20: fallax, Ov. Am. 1, 15, 17: servus a pedibus, Cic. Att. 8, 5, 1: a manu, Suet. Caes. 74: aliquem servum sibi habere ad manum, Cic. de Or. 3, 60, 225: publici, public slaves, S. C. ap. Front. Aquaed. 100; Varr. ap. Gell. 13, 13, 4; Cic. Phil. 8, 8, 24; Liv. 9, 29 fin. et saep.; cf. Dig. 1, 5, 5.—Prov.: quot servi, tot hostes, Sinn. Capito ap. Fest. s. v. quot, p. 261 Müll.; cf. Sen. Ep. 47, 3; Macr. S. 1, 11 med.—Esp.: poenae servus, a slave of punishment, i. e. condemned to servile labor, Just. Inst. 1, 12, 3; Dig. 48, 19, 17.—
2. Trop.: vidit enim eos, qui se judiciorum dominos dici volebant, harum cupiditatum esse servos, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 22, § 58: neque tam servi illi dominorum, quam tu libidinum, id. ib. 2, 4, 50, § 112: omnium libidinum servi, Plin. Ep. 8, 22, 1: adulescens libertorum suorum libertus servorumque servus, Vell. 2, 73, 1: servus potestatis, Cic. Cael. 32, 79; cf. also the doubtful reading: legum omnes servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus, id. Clu. 53, 146 (where B. and K. have omnes servimus).—
B. Fem. (mostly anteclass. for ancilla): servae sint istae an liberae, Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 62: ego serva sum, id. Cist. 4, 2, 99; id. Pers. 4, 4, 63; id. Poen. 5, 4, 31: serva nata, id. Rud. 1, 3, 37: servum servaque natum regnum occupasse, Liv. 1, 47 fin.: serva Briseis, Hor. C. 2, 4, 3 et saep.

Origins

From Old Latin servos, from Proto-Italic *serwos (“guardian”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser-wo-s (“guardian”), possibly from *ser- (“watch over, protect”) + *-wós. Cognate with servō, Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (haraⁱti, “he heeds, protects”), Northern Luri هیر (hir, “protects”).

Descendants
  • Catalanserv
  • Catalanserf
  • Italianservo
  • Occitansèrve
  • Frenchserffrom Old French serf
  • Englishserffrom Old French serf
  • Portugueseservo
  • Romanianșerb
  • Romanianserv
  • Spanishsiervo

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesServusServus 1. Greek. The Greek δοῦλος, like the Latin servus, corresponds to the usual meaning of our word slave. Slavery existed almost throughout the wh…
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
servus2
servus (feminine serva, neuter servum)
Classical[ˈsɛr.wʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈsɛr.vus]
№ 496 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectiveslavish, servile (to the senses or to authority)
  2. adjectivesubject or liable to servitude

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeservusservaservum
genitiveservīservaeservī
dativeservōservaeservō
accusativeservumservamservum
ablativeservōservāservō
vocativeserveservaservum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeservīservaeserva
genitiveservōrumservārumservōrum
dativeservīsservīsservīs
accusativeservōsservāsserva
ablativeservīsservīsservīs
vocativeservīservaeserva

servus, a, um, adj. referred by the ancients to servo: servi ex eo appellati sunt, quod imperatores servos vendere, ac per hoc servare, nec occidere solent, Just. Inst. 1, 3, 3; but prob. from root svar-; Lith. svaras, a weight; cf. Gr. ἕρμα; O. H. Germ. swari, burdensome; Germ. schwer, heavy; cf. also serius,
I. slavish, servile, subject.
I. In gen.
A. With homo (= 2. servus; mostly ante-class.): non decet superbum esse hominem servom, Plaut. As. 2, 4, 64; id. Mil. 2, 6, 80; id. Stich. 1, 2, 1; 5, 4, 10; id. Ep. 1, 1, 58; 3, 1, 7; Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 62.—
B. With other subjects (not freq. till after the Aug. per.): octo milia liberorum servorumque capitum sunt capta, Liv. 29, 29: corpori, quod servum fortuna erat, vim fecit, id. 38, 24: Graeciae urbes servae et vectigales (opp. liberae), id. 34, 58: civitas, id. 25, 31: Lacedaemon, id. 34, 41: serva manus, Ov. F. 6, 558: o imitatores, servum pecus! Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 19: serva aqua, i. e. servorum, Ov. Am. 1, 6, 26; cf. Petr. 71: servam operam, linguam liberam herus me jussit habere, Plaut. Pers. 2, 4, 9: omnia non serva et maxime regna hostilia ducunt (Romani), Sall. H. 4, 61, 17 Dietsch: reges serva omnia et subjecta imperio suo esse velint, Liv. 37, 54; 42, 46: statu libera quicquid peperit, hoc servum heredis est, Dig. 40, 7, 16.—
II. Jurid. t. t., of buildings, lands, etc., liable to certain burdens, subject to a servitude: libera (praedia) meliore jure sunt quam serva, Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 9: fundus, Dig. 8, 6, 6: aedes, ib. 8, 2, 35: area, ib. 8, 2, 34 al.; cf. servio, II. B., and servitus, II B.—Hence,

Origins

From Old Latin servos, from Proto-Italic *serwos (“guardian”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser-wo-s (“guardian”), possibly from *ser- (“watch over, protect”) + *-wós. Cognate with servō, Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (haraⁱti, “he heeds, protects”), Northern Luri هیر (hir, “protects”).

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesServusServus 1. Greek. The Greek δοῦλος, like the Latin servus, corresponds to the usual meaning of our word slave. Slavery existed almost throughout the wh…

Quick answers

What does servus mean in Latin?
servus, a noun, means “a slave; a serf; a servant”.
What is the genitive of servus?
The genitive singular is servī. servus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce servus?
In classical Latin, [ˈsɛr.wʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈsɛr.vus].