servant

/'sə:vənt/

Thân thiện

A servant brings a silver tray of tea into the drawing room.

Definition

Noun: 1. A person employed to perform domestic duties or personal services for another, typically within a household. This is the most common meaning, referring to someone whose job is to work in another person's home, performing tasks such as cleaning, cooking, or caring for children. 2. A person who is employed to work for and obey another; an attendant. This extends the meaning beyond the home to any employment situation where one person serves and follows the instructions of another. 3. A person or thing considered as being in the service of, or devoted to, another entity, cause, or principle. This figurative meaning describes a loyal follower, supporter, or instrument of an organization, idea, or deity.

Examples

• The wealthy family employed several servants, including a butler, a cook, and a maid.
• He worked as a civil servant for the government for over thirty years.
• She saw herself as a humble servant of the public good.
• In his speech, the mayor called himself "a servant of the people."

Advanced Usage

• "To be a servant to something": To be completely controlled by or devoted to something, often negatively.
  • He was a servant to his own ambition.
• "Your obedient servant": A formal, old-fashioned closing phrase used in letters.
  • I remain, sir, your obedient servant.

Variants and Related Words

• Servitude (n): The state of being a slave or being completely subject to someone more powerful.
• Serve (v): To perform duties or services for another person or an organization.
• Servant leadership (n): A leadership philosophy where the leader's primary goal is to serve their team or organization.

Synonyms

• Attendant: A person employed to provide a service to the public in a particular place.
• Domestic: A person employed to work in a household (often used in formal or legal contexts).
• Retainer: A servant, especially one who has worked for a family for a long time.
• Aide: An assistant to an important person.

Related Phrases

• Civil servant: A person employed in the public sector by a government department or agency.
• Public servant: An elected official or a government employee.
• Indentured servant: A person under contract to work for another for a specific period of time, historically in exchange for passage to a new country or training.

Idioms

• "No man can serve two masters": A proverb meaning one cannot be loyal to two opposing people or principles at the same time. It highlights the singular loyalty implied in being a servant.
• "A good servant but a bad master": Used to describe something (like technology, ambition, or an emotion) that is useful when controlled but harmful when it controls you.

Học thuật

Noun

1. in a subordinate position
   • theology should be the handmaiden of ethics
   • the state cannot be a servant of the church
2. a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• handmaid
• handmaiden
• retainer