Serving

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Serve \Serve\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Served}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Serving}.] [OE. serven, servien, OF. & F. servir, fr. L.
     servire; akin to servus a servant or slave, servare to
     protect, preserve, observe; cf. Zend har to protect, haurva
     protecting. Cf. {Conserve}, {Desert} merit, {Dessert},
     {Observe}, {Serf}, {Sergeant}.]


     1. To work for; to labor in behalf of; to exert one's self
        continuously or statedly for the benefit of; to do service
        for; to be in the employment of, as an inferior, domestic,
        serf, slave, hired assistant, official helper, etc.;
        specifically, in a religious sense, to obey and worship.
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              God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit.
                                                    --Rom. i. 9.
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              Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee
              seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. --Gen.
                                                    xxix. 18.
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              No man can serve two masters.         --Matt. vi.
                                                    24.
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              Had I but served my God with half the zeal
              I served my king, he would not in mine age
              Have left me naked to mine enemies.   --Shak.
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     2. To be subordinate to; to act a secondary part under; to
        appear as the inferior of; to minister to.
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              Bodies bright and greater should not serve
              The less not bright.                  --Milton.
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     3. To be suitor to; to profess love to. [Obs.]
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              To serve a lady in his beste wise.    --Chaucer.
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     4. To wait upon; to supply the wants of; to attend;
        specifically, to wait upon at table; to attend at meals;
        to supply with food; as, to serve customers in a shop.
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              Others, pampered in their shameless pride,
              Are served in plate and in their chariots ride.
                                                    --Dryden.
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     5. Hence, to bring forward, arrange, deal, or distribute, as
        a portion of anything, especially of food prepared for
        eating; -- often with up; formerly with in.
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              Bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we
              will come in to dinner.               --Shak.
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              Some part he roasts, then serves it up so dressed.
                                                    --Dryde.
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     6. To perform the duties belonging to, or required in or for;
        hence, to be of use to; as, a curate may serve two
        churches; to serve one's country.
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     7. To contribute or conduce to; to promote; to be sufficient
        for; to satisfy; as, to serve one's turn.
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              Turn it into some advantage, by observing where it
              can serve another end.                --Jer. Taylor.
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     8. To answer or be (in the place of something) to; as, a sofa
        serves one for a seat and a couch.
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     9. To treat; to behave one's self to; to requite; to act
        toward; as, he served me very ill.
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     10. To work; to operate; as, to serve the guns.
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     11. (Law)
         (a) To bring to notice, deliver, or execute, either
             actually or constructively, in such manner as the law
             requires; as, to serve a summons.
         (b) To make legal service opon (a person named in a writ,
             summons, etc.); as, to serve a witness with a
             subp[oe]na.
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     12. To pass or spend, as time, esp. time of punishment; as,
         to serve a term in prison.
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     13. To copulate with; to cover; as, a horse serves a mare; --
         said of the male.
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     14. (Tennis) To lead off in delivering (the ball).
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     15. (Naut.) To wind spun yarn, or the like, tightly around (a
         rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from chafing or
         from the weather. See under {Serving}.
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     {To serve an attachment} or {To serve a writ of attachment}
        (Law), to levy it on the person or goods by seizure, or to
        seize.
  
     {To serve an execution} (Law), to levy it on a lands, goods,
        or person, by seizure or taking possession.
  
     {To serve an office}, to discharge a public duty.
  
     {To serve a process} (Law), in general, to read it, so as to
        give due notice to the party concerned, or to leave an
        attested copy with him or his attorney, or his usual place
        of abode.
  
     {To serve a warrant}, to read it, and seize the person
        against whom it is issued.
  
     {To serve a writ} (Law), to read it to the defendant, or to
        leave an attested copy at his usual place of abode.
  
     {To serve one out}, to retaliate upon; to requite. "I'll
        serve you out for this." --C. Kingsley.
  
     {To serve one right}, to treat, or cause to befall one,
        according to his deserts; -- used commonly of ill deserts;
        as, it serves the scoundrel right.
  
     {To serve one's self of}, to avail one's self of; to make use
        of. [A Gallicism]
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              I will serve myself of this concession.
                                                    --Chillingworth.
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     {To serve out}, to distribute; as, to serve out rations.
  
     {To serve the time} or {To serve the hour}, to regulate one's
        actions by the requirements of the time instead of by
        one's duty; to be a timeserver. [Obs.]
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              They think herein we serve the time, because thereby
              we either hold or seek preferment.    --Hooker.
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     Syn: To obey; minister to; subserve; promote; aid; help;
          assist; benefit; succor.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Serving \Serv"ing\,
     a. & n. from {Serve}.
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     {Serving board} (Naut.), a flat piece of wood used in serving
        ropes.
  
     {Serving maid}, a female servant; a maidservant.
  
     {Serving mallet} (Naut.), a wooden instrument shaped like a
        mallet, used in serving ropes.
  
     {Serving man}, a male servant, or attendant; a manservant.
  
     {Serving stuff} (Naut.), small lines for serving ropes.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  serving
       n 1: an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a
            meal; "the helpings were all small"; "his portion was
            larger than hers"; "there's enough for two servings
            each" [syn: {helping}, {portion}]
       2: the act of delivering a writ or summons upon someone; "he
          accepted service of the subpoena" [syn: {service}, {service
          of process}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  55 Moby Thesaurus words for "serving":
     accessory, acting, adjuvant, ancillary, antepast, assistant,
     assisting, attendant, attending, auxiliary, behavioral, course,
     cover, dessert, dish, entree, entremets, fostering, functional,
     functioning, gear, help, helping, inaction, instrumental, menial,
     ministerial, ministering, ministrant, nurtural, nutricial,
     operating, operational, performing, place, plate, portion,
     practicing, rig, rigging, ropework, roping, running rigging,
     second helping, service, servile, servitorial, standing rigging,
     subservient, subsidiary, tackle, tackling, waiting, whipping,
     working