Service Means a Church, a Tennis Shot, and a Car Repair
A service is help given, a religious ceremony, a stroke in tennis and a scheduled maintenance. One word, a remarkable range.
Service is the act of serving, and English has stretched it further than almost any other word. A church service, a bus service, a tennis service, a car service, the armed services and the service industry all descend from one Latin verb meaning to serve. Context does all the work, and it never fails.
- Help or work done for others. *Excellent service.*
- A religious ceremony. *The evening service.*
- A scheduled maintenance. *The car is due a service.*
- A stroke in tennis. *She held her service.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | service | Customer service. |
| Plural | services | Emergency services. |
| Verb | service | Service the boiler. |
| Adjective | serviceable | Serviceable but plain. |
| Related | serve | Serve dinner. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The service here is very slow.Hospitality.
- There is no bus service on Sundays.Transport.
- The boiler needs servicing.Maintenance.
Service in different fields
- Hospitality — attending to customers
- Religion — a ceremony of worship
- Transport — a scheduled route
- Military — the armed services
- Law — service of documents on a party
From Old French *servise*, from Latin *servitium*, slavery or service, from *servus*, a slave. The religious sense reached English early, through church Latin.
Service or serve as a verb?
Service means to maintain equipment. Serve means to attend to people or to present food. A garage services a car; a waiter serves a table.
What is service of documents?
Formally delivering legal papers to a party, in a way the rules recognise. Proper service is what makes a case proceed.