See subserve in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
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"name": "bor+"
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}
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"etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin subservire; by surface analysis, sub- + serve.",
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"To be subservient to."
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"ref": "1839 October, J.J. Middleton, “Description of an Astronomical Instrument presented by Raja Ram Sing, of Khota, to the Government of India”, in Journal of the Asiatic Society, volume 8, number 94, page 837:",
"text": "Calculating by spherical trigonometry, and assuming the same obliquity, I obtain 3 dundas and 40 pulas for the ascensional arc, giving a difference in time of 3 pulas, or about one of our minutes; an error so small, that even were the Indian astronomer aware of its existence he would disregard it, satisfied that the practical purposes which his labours subserve, are, notwithstanding, carried out with sufficient accuracy.",
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"ref": "1840, Abel Upshur, A Brief Enquiry into the Nature and Character of our Federal Government, Campbell, page 69:",
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"ref": "1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:",
"text": "'[…] Human laws we respect—ha, ha!—you and I, because they subserve our convenience, and just so long. When they tend to our destruction, 'tis, of course, another thing.'",
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"To serve to promote (an end); to be useful to."
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"ref": "1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica: Or, Confest Ignorance, the Way to Science; […], London: […] E. C[otes] for Henry Eversden […], →OCLC:",
"text": "'Tis a greater credit to know the ways of captivating Nature, and making her subserve our purposes, than to have learnt all the intrigues of policy.",
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"text": "The unlearned capacities that underpin language acquisition constitute a uniquely human complex of non-linguistic dispositions and mechanisms that also subserve other cognitive functions.",
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"To assist in carrying out."
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],
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"To be subservient to."
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"text": "Calculating by spherical trigonometry, and assuming the same obliquity, I obtain 3 dundas and 40 pulas for the ascensional arc, giving a difference in time of 3 pulas, or about one of our minutes; an error so small, that even were the Indian astronomer aware of its existence he would disregard it, satisfied that the practical purposes which his labours subserve, are, notwithstanding, carried out with sufficient accuracy.",
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85
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"text": "Their principles will cease to be dear to them, whenever they shall cease to subserve the purposes of good order.",
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},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
59,
67
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"ref": "1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:",
"text": "'[…] Human laws we respect—ha, ha!—you and I, because they subserve our convenience, and just so long. When they tend to our destruction, 'tis, of course, another thing.'",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To serve to promote (an end); to be useful to."
],
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],
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"text": "'Tis a greater credit to know the ways of captivating Nature, and making her subserve our purposes, than to have learnt all the intrigues of policy.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
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160
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"text": "The unlearned capacities that underpin language acquisition constitute a uniquely human complex of non-linguistic dispositions and mechanisms that also subserve other cognitive functions.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To assist in carrying out."
],
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[
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"ipa": "/səbˈsɜːv/",
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},
{
"ipa": "/səbˈsɚv/",
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]
}
],
"word": "subserve"
}
Download raw JSONL data for subserve meaning in English (4.1kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-01-16 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (d1270d2 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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