serve

Etymology

From Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).

noun

1. (sports) An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.
   Whose serve is it?
   He had no power serve of his own, no backhand, no volley, no lob, no idea of pace or tactics. January 13 1961, Marshall Smith, “From Waif to a Winner, the Clown of the Courts”, in Life, page 99
   The first serve of the game is from the right half court to the half diagonally opposite. 1996, Steve Boga, Badminton, page viii
   Against a serve of the calibre of McEnroe′s, an opponent will try to anticipate the ball′s direction and lean either to the left or to the right, depending on where he feels the server will go. 2009, Mihnea Moldoveanu, Roger L. Martin, Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers, page 31
2. (chiefly Australia) A portion of food or drink, a serving.
   The night before your event, base your evening meal on high-carbohydrate foods with a small serve of lean protein. 2004, Susanna Holt, Fitness Food: The Essential Guide to Eating Well and Performing Better, Australia: Murdoch Books, page 23
   Come here for a cappuccino that could hold its own on Via Veneto in Rome (€2) and a serve of their crunchy fresh cheese börek. 2007, Verity Campbell, Turkey, Lonely Planet, page 142
   Reintroduce protein; add a small serve of salmon, tuna or sardines every second day (tinned variety or fresh). 2008, Michael E. Cichorski, Maximum Asthma Control: The Revolutionary 3-Step Anti Asthma Program, page 100
   Smirnoff Appleback was a finished drink, comprising a 50ml serve of Smirnoff, with ice and lemonade or ginger ale and equating to 1.9 units. 2011, Great Britain Parliament House of Commons Health Committee, Alcohol: First Report of Session 2009-10, volume 2, page 189
   2012, Lesley Campbell, Alan L. Rubin, Type 2 Diabetes For Dummies, Australian Edition, page 117, One serve of carbohydrates is approximately equal to a slice of bread, a piece of fruit, third of a cup of cooked rice, half a cup of grains, cereals, starchy vegetables or cooked pasta, 200 grams of plain yoghurt, or 300 millilitres of milk.
3. (gay slang and African-American Vernacular) An impressive presentation (especially of a person's appearance).
   That white eyeliner is such a serve.
   And, of course, there’s the video, which didn’t need to be such a serve since the song slapped so hard. But, it’s still iconic years later. 2019, Mathew Rodriguez, “The Official Ranking of Every Track on Britney Spears’ Debut Album”, in Out.com
   Taking a private jet in the middle of a pandemic is not the serve you think it is KenToya! What is a serve is the hazmat jumpsuit Marlo wears for the sprinter. Fashion x Covid Safety realness. 2021, Chris Murphy, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta Recap: Allow Me To ReintroDrewce Myself”, in Vulture

verb

1. (personal) To provide a service (or, by extension, a product, especially food or drink).
   1. (transitive) To be a formal servant for (a god or deity); to worship in an official capacity.
      And yet this is not the office of a Priest, but of Him whom the Priest should serve. 1889, Philip Schaff, translating St. Chrysostom, Homilies, XIV
   2. (transitive) To be a servant for; to work for, to be employed by.
      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. 1716, Joseph Addison, The Drummer
      […]his lordship was out of humour. That was the way Chollacombe described as knaggy an old gager as ever Charles had had the ill-fortune to serve. 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax
      You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief, / They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief / But you're gonna have to serve somebody. 1979, Bob Dylan, Gotta 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.
      That night Annie served him grilled halibut and English peas, plus tomatoes, of course, and a salad. 2007, Larry McMurty, When the Light Goes
   4. (intransitive) To be a servant or worker; to perform the duties of a servant or employee; to render service.
      They also serve who only stand and wait. 1673, John Milton, On His Blindness
   5. (transitive) To set down (food or drink) on the table to be eaten; to bring (food, drink) to a person.
      About twenty minutes after waiters served the soup, a guest got up and left. 2009, Dominic A Pacyga, Chicago: A Biography, page 195
2. (transitive, archaic) To treat (someone) in a given manner.
   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. 1924, H. Rider Haggard, Belshazzar
3. (transitive, archaic) To be suitor to; to be the lover of.
4. To be effective.
   1. (transitive) To be useful to; to meet the needs of.
      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. October 12 2010, Lloyd Marcus, The Guardian
   2. (intransitive) To have a given use or purpose; to function for something or to do something.
      The bust also served to remind the public that the Mafia is not harmless. January 27 2011, “Borgata bust”, in The Economist
      Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered,[…]. 2012 March-April, Terrence J. Sejnowski, “Well-connected Brains”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 171
   3. (intransitive) To usefully take the place as, instead of something else.
      Maybe the volcanic eruption will serve as a wake-up call to such companies that they need to modernise their risk management. April 20 2010, “Not up in the air”, in The Economist
5. (transitive, law) To deliver a document.
   1. To officially deliver (a legal notice, summons etc.).
      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. 2008 April, Pamela Colloff, “The Fire That Time”, in Texas Monthly, Austin: Emmis Publishing, page 158
   2. To make legal service upon (a person named in a writ, summons, etc.)
      to serve a witness with a subpoena
6. (transitive, intransitive, sports) To lead off with the first delivery over the net in tennis, volleyball, ping pong, badminton etc.
   In women's 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. 2007, Rob Antoun, Women's Tennis Tactics, page 2
7. (transitive) To copulate with (of male animals); to cover.
   Conception means that a cow is served by a bull and that she becomes pregnant. 1996, Puck Bonnier et al., Dairy Cattle Husbandry, Agromisa Foundation 2004
8. (intransitive) To be in military service.
   Some reports suggested he would quit the army if he was not allowed to serve abroad in a war zone. May 16 2007, Peter Walker, The Guardian
9. (transitive, military) To work, to operate (a weapon).
   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. 1864, Horace Greeley, The American Conflict
10. (transitive) To work through (a given period of time in prison, a sentence).
    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. December 1 2010, Tania Branigan, The Guardian
11. (nautical) To wind spun yarn etc. tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or from the weather.
12. (transitive) To perform (a public obligation).
    I've received a summons for jury duty. It says I serve one day or one trial.
    She served the office of mayor five years ago.
13. (transitive, intransitive, slang, drugs) To provide crack cocaine (to), usually by selling, dealing, or distributing.
    Once I began selling crack, money was no issue. I would be out 2-3 days at a time, up for 24 hours a day. It was a full time job, serving crack fiends. 2006, Stacey Green, Inside...the Mind of a Man!, page 18
    Tim told her that she could make a little money on the side by serving crack-cocaine. 2010, Keith Norton, Crack Spell
    They'd serve cocaine, and you'd sit there, and base this cocaine. And you'd have an ounce gone in 24 hours. 2012, Diana Prince, Secret Lives: Real Lives in the World’S Oldest Profession
    When crews like the Supreme Team saw the effect of the powerful new drug on users, they streamlined their own operation to serve crack only. 2013, Seth Ferranti, The Supreme Team: The Birth of Crack and Hip-Hop, Prince’s Reign of Terror and the Supreme/50 Cent Beef Exposed
14. (gay slang and African-American Vernacular) To present an attractive personal appearance.
    1. (intransitive) To present an attractive personal appearance.
       […] Angela Bassett, serving for the gods in regal headdresses and flowing white dreadlocks as T'Challa's mother, […] 2017, John Boone, “Inside Marvel Studios: Secrets About 'Black Panther,' 'Captain Marvel,' 'Thor: Ragnarok' & More!”, in ET Online
    2. (transitive) To attractively display something (especially a body part) as part of one's personal appearance.
       I feel the same way about Ashley Monroe too, who was her usual sweet self as she came through serving cleavage to the max. 2016, Delores Shante, “Tiffany Foxx’s Black Friday”, in The St. Louis American
       Wearing an itty-bitty black bikini and mirror-like sunnies, she's serving face. 2019, Alyssa Morin, “Kylie Jenner and Her BFF Stassie Pose in Matching Itty-Bitty Bikinis”, in E! Online
    3. (transitive) To evoke something (especially a person) with one's personal appearance.
       Serving Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! realness, and we’re into it. 2019, Emma Kelly, “Jennifer Aniston is ‘dating again’ and ‘staying in touch’ with ex-husband Brad Pitt”, in Metro UK
       Dior’s collection was serving major Bridgerton vibes, and I am definitely taking notes. 2021, Bella Gerard, “These Paris Fashion Week SS21 Couture Looks Give Me So Much Serotonin”, in Stylecaster