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"service" in seven languages

Meaningservice

Spanish

servicio

/seɾˈbiθjo/

masc.learned

Los servicios are also the toilets.

French

service

/sɛʁvis/

masc.inherited

Spelled servise in Old French.

Italian

servizio

/serˈvittsjo/

masc.learned

The inherited doublet servigio 'a favour' survives in literary Italian.

Portuguese

serviço

/sehˈvisu/

masc.inherited

For service in a shop or restaurant Brazilians often say atendimento.

Romanian

serviciu

/serˈvitʃju/

neut.learned

Colloquially also 'job': merg la serviciu 'I'm going to work'.

Catalan

servei

/səɾˈbɛj/

masc.inherited

English

service

/ˈsɝvɪs/

from Latin/French · Old French servise

English → ItalianserviceservizioCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SERVITIUM‘slavery, servitude (from SERVUS 'slave')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Service began as slavery: SERVITIUM came from SERVUS 'slave'. Italian shows the split clearly: learned servizio for everyday use, inherited servigio only in old books.

English relatives: serve, servant, servile, servitude

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esEl servicio en este restaurante es excelente.
  • frLe service dans ce restaurant est excellent.
  • itIl servizio in questo ristorante è ottimo.
  • ptO serviço neste restaurante é excelente.
  • roServiciul în restaurantul ăsta e excelent.
  • caEl servei d'aquest restaurant és excel·lent.
  • enThe service in this restaurant is excellent.

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