Word family noun servant serve server service disservice the services serving servery servicing servility servitude adjective serviceable servile serving verb serve service
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishservileser‧vile /ˈsɜːvaɪl $ ˈsɜːrvəl, -vaɪl/ adjective 1 OBEYvery eager to obey someone because you want to please them – used to show disapproval a servile attitude2 OBEYrelating to slaves or to being a slave —servility /sɜːˈvɪləti $ sɜːr-/ noun [uncountable]Examples from the Corpus
servile• He was young and hard-working, though annoyingly servile.• And there was nothing servile about them.• It is logical that they revealed an intimate but not servile attachment to the achievements of past master sculptors.• They lead a double life, on the surface passive, even servile, but inside they suffer.• The cruel king and his servile courtiers entered the room.• They are outdated, servile images that have survived somehow in a changing world.• The girl was definitely not servile in her speech or appearance.• This cowardly and servile Nizan-Pluvinage was ready to lick the dust to deceive the intended victims of his spying.• Away with slavish weeds and servile thoughts!• The driver asked in a servile tone for more instructions.Origin servile (1300-1400) Latin servilis, from servus; → SERVE1 