serve (v.) Copy link Outline I. To bestow labour of body or mind in the employment of anotherII. To attend at command, to wait onIII. To render assistance to by good offices1. servio, 4 (with dat.)2. commŏdo, 1 (to oblige, do a service to3. prōsum, fui, prodesse (most gen. term; to benefit in whatever way4. praesto sum (comp. supr. II.)5. condūco, xi, ctum, 3 (with in or ad, and acc. or dat.; the last when a person is the object)6. prōfĭcio, fēci, fectum, 3 (to be useful to or promotive ofIV. To be sufficient forV. To be in the place of anything to any one1. pro with sum2. expr. by instar esse (a strong expr. = to be as good or great as)VI. To s., in military sense, in the army or navy1. stīpendia mĕreor, or mĕreo, 2 (lit. to earn pay2. stīpendia făcio, 33. mīlĭto, 14. ēmĕreo s. emĕreor, 2 (to s. out, complete one's term of service)VII. To use, to manage; as to s. the artillery in a battleVIII. To s. a writ • serve (v.): I. To bestow labour of body or mind in the employment of another: servio, īvi or ii, ītum, 4 (with dat.): to obey and s. another man, alteri parere ac s., Cic. Rab. Post. 8, extr.: it is just that your slave should s. you according to your wish, justum est tuus tibi servus tuo arbitratu s., Pl. Bac. 4, 8, 71. Comp. dēservio, 4 (to s. diligently: also with dat.): of your own health, while diligently s.ing me, you have not taken sufficient care, valetudini tuae, dum mihi deservis, servisti non satis, Cic. Fam. 16, 18, med.: to s. any one diligently, alicui deservire, id. Off. 1, 30, 108. (Famulari, v. rare, and best avoided.) II. To attend at command, to wait on: praesto sum (to be in attendance, wait on and s.): cf. Cic. Fin. 2, 21, 69, praesto esse virtutes ut ancillulas: v. to wait on. See also infr. (III., 4). Phr.: to s. at table, ad mensam consistere, id. Tusc. 5, 21, 61: cf. Hor. Od. 1, 29, 8 (ad cyathum statui, i. e. serve as cupbearer): v. to wait, attend. III. To render assistance to by good offices: 1. servio, 4 (with dat.): to s. the people, populo s., Cic. Planc. 4, fin.: that man may have power to s. the advancement of many, is multorum honori s. polleat, id. Brut. 69, 242. 2. commŏdo, 1 (to oblige, do a service to: also with dat.): I beg you to s. him in everything which you can do without inconvenience, peto abs te, ut omnibus rebus, quod sine molestia tua facere possis, ei commodes, id. Fam. 13, 35, fin.: to s. any one in any thing, alicui in aliqua re c., ib, 13, 37, fin. 3. prōsum, fui, prodesse (most gen. term; to benefit in whatever way: with dat.): who s. neither themselves nor another, qui nec sibi nec alteri p., id. Off. 2, 10, 36: my letters will not s. you at all, nihil tibi meae literae proderunt, id. Fam. 2, 17, fin. 4. praesto sum (comp. supr. II.): he learned the civil law, he s.d many, jus civile didicit, multis pr. fuit, id. Mur. 9, 19: to s. your safety, tuae saluti pr. esse, id. Fam. 4, 14, fin. 5. condūco, xi, ctum, 3 (with in or ad, and acc. or dat.; the last when a person is the object): to s. your interest, in rem tuam c., Pl. Cist. 3, 4: to s. the common welfare, reipublicae c., Cic. Prov. Cons. 1, 1: cf. id. Off. 1, 3, 9 (ad vitae commoditatem). 6. prōfĭcio, fēci, fectum, 3 (to be useful to or promotive of: with in or ad and acc.): nothing s.s so much to the acquiring of eloquence as writing down one's thoughts, nulla res tantum ad dicendum pr. quam scriptio, Cic. Brut. 24, 92: cf. Liv. 3, 61, fin. (parvaque certamina in summam totius spei profecerant). IV. To be sufficient for: suffĭcere; satis (sat) esse: v. to suffice. V. To be in the place of anything to any one: 1. pro with sum: Sicily has s.d us for a provision cupboard, Siciliam nobis pro penaria cella fuisse, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, fin.: v. substitute. 2. expr. by instar esse (a strong expr. = to be as good or great as): cf. Cic. Br. 51, 191, Plato mihi instar omnium est, i. e. is as good as all the rest together; or will s. for all the rest. VI. To s., in military sense, in the army or navy: 1. stīpendia mĕreor, or mĕreo, 2 (lit. to earn pay: the subs. is sometimes omitted): he s.d in that war, in eo bello stipendia meruit, Cic. Mur. 5, 12: we began to s., mereri stipendia coeperamus, id. Cael. 5, 11: to s. in the cavalry, merere equo, id. Phil. 1, 8, 20: to s. in the infantry, merere pedibus, Liv. 24, 18, fin. (See also infr. 4.) 2. stīpendia făcio, 3: to s. under that general, sub eo duce stipendia f., Liv. 10, 24, init.: cf. Sall. J. 63, med. (stipendiis faciundis). 3. mīlĭto, 1: in whose army Cato's son s.d as a cadet, in cujus exercitu Catonis filius tiro militabat, Cic. Off. 1, 11, 36: to s. under any one's standard, sub signis alicujus m., Liv. 23, 42, fin.: to grant a prisoner his life on the condition of s.ing against his friends, capto sub conditione vitam concedere ut adversus amicos suos militet, Suet. Caes. 68, init.: to s. with any one, apud aliquem m., Curt. 6, 5; cum aliquo, id. 8, 8. Fig.: I have lately lived a fit companion for maidens, and have s.d (under the standard of Venus) not without renown, vixi puellis nuper idoneus, et militavi non sine gloria, Hor. Od. 3, 26, 1. 4. ēmĕreo s. emĕreor, 2 (to s. out, complete one's term of service): from no one was the hope of s.ing out his time taken away, nemini spes emerendi stipendia adempta, Liv. 25, 6, ad fin.: having s.d out their time, stipendiis emeritis, Sall. J. 84, med.: cf. Liv. 3, 57, fin. VII. To use, to manage; as to s. the artillery in a battle: admĭnistro, 1: the artillery which is s.d by horsemen, *tormenta, quae ab equitibus administrantur (Kr.). VIII. To s. a writ: expr. by vocare (to summon authoritatively; which, however, was done by a messenger, not by means of a written document): cf. Gell. 13, 12 (throughout): v. summons.