Nearby Words

subserviency

[suhb-sur-vee-uhnt] Origin

sub·ser·vi·ent

[suhb-sur-vee-uhnt]
adjective
1.
serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate.
2.
servile; excessively submissive; obsequious: subservient persons; subservient conduct.
3.
useful in promoting a purpose or end.

Origin:
1625–35; < Latin subservient- (stem of subserviēns, present participle of subservīre to subserve), equivalent to sub- sub- + servi-, stem of servīre to serve + -ent -ent

sub·ser·vi·ence, sub·ser·vi·en·cy, noun
sub·ser·vi·ent·ly, adverb
un·sub·ser·vi·ent, adjective
un·sub·ser·vi·ent·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To subserviency

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Subserviency is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Collins
World English Dictionary
subservient (səbˈsɜːvɪənt)
 
adj
1.  obsequious in behaviour or attitude
2.  serving as a means to an end
3.  a less common word for subordinate
 
[C17: from Latin subserviēns complying with, from subservīre to subserve]
 
sub'serviently
 
adv
 
sub'servience
 
n
 
sub'serviency
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

subservient
1632, "useful, serviceable," from L. subservientem (nom. subserviens), prp. of subservire "assist, lend support," from sub "under" + servire "serve." The meaning "slavishly obedient" is first recorded 1794.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature