different between sergeant vs servant

English

Alternative forms

• serjant (obsolete)
• sergeaunt (obsolete)
• serjeant (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English sergeant, sergeaunt, serjent, serjaunt, serjawnt, sergant, from Old French sergeant, sergent, serjant, sergient, sergant (“sergeant, servant”), from Medieval Latin servientem, accusative of serviens (“a servant, vassal, soldier, apparitor”), from Latin servi?ns (“serving”), present participle of servi? (“serve, be a slave to”). Doublet of servant and servient.

The fish is so called because of its stripes, supposed to resemble a sergeant's insignia of rank.

For the "er" being pronounced /??/, see also clerk, derby, varsity.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?s??.d??nt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?s??.d??nt/
• Rhymes: -??(?)d??nt

Noun

sergeant (plural sergeants)

1. (military) UK army rank with NATO code OR-6, senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks.
2. The highest rank of noncommissioned officer in some non-naval military forces and police.
3. (law, historical) A lawyer of the highest rank, equivalent to the doctor of civil law.
4. (Britain, historical) A title sometimes given to the servants of the sovereign.

5. A fish, the cobia.
6. Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the of the genus Athyma; distinguished from the false sergeants.
7. A bailiff.
8. A servant in monastic offices.

Related terms

• sergeant baker
• sarge

Translations

Anagrams

• angerest, enragest, estrange, grantees, greatens, negaters, reagents, rentages, reägents, seargent, segreant, sternage

Dutch

Alternative forms

• sergant (obsolete)
• sergent (obsolete)
• serjant (obsolete)
• sersjant (archaic, informal)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch seriant, from Old French sergent, from Latin servi?ns. The current spelling is influenced by English sergeant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s?r???nt/
• Hyphenation: ser?geant
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

sergeant m (plural sergeants or sergeanten, diminutive sergeantje n)

1. sergeant (non-commissioned officer in several armed forces)

Usage notes

This rank is in use in the Dutch army, navy and air force, in the Belgian army and air force and in the Surinamese army.

Derived terms

• sergeant-majoor

Descendants

• Afrikaans: sersant
• ? Indonesian: sersan
• ? West Frisian: sersjant

See also

• meester
• wachtmeester

English

Alternative forms

• servaunt, servand (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French servant, from the present participle of the verb servir. Doublet of sergeant and servient.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??v?nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?v?nt/, [?s?vn??]
• Rhymes: -??(?)v?nt

Noun

servant (plural servants)

1. One who is hired to perform regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. As opposed to a slave.
2. One who serves another, providing help in some manner.

3. (religion) A person who dedicates themselves to God.
4. (dated) A professed lover.
5. A person of low condition or spirit.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

servant (third-person singular simple present servants, present participle servanting, simple past and past participle servanted)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To subject.

Anagrams

• starven, taverns, versant

French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French servant, a substantivized present participle of servir. Cf. also Latin serviens, and French sergent.

Pronunciation

Verb

servant

1. present participle of servir

Noun

servant m (plural servants, feminine servante)

1. servant

Derived terms

• chevalier servant

Related terms

• serveur, serveuse

Further reading

• “servant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• versant

Latin

Verb

servant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of serv?

Middle English

Etymology

Old French servant, originally the present participle of servir

Noun

servant (plural servants)

1. servant

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

servant m (definite singular servanten, indefinite plural servanter, definite plural servantene)

1. a washbasin
2. a sink

Synonyms

• vask
• vaskeservant

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

servant m (definite singular servanten, indefinite plural servantar, definite plural servantane)

1. a washbasin
2. a sink

Synonyms

• vaskeservant

Old French

Verb

servant

1. present participle of servir

Adjective

servant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular servant or servante)

1. that serves; that fulfils a role

Noun

servant m (oblique plural servanz or servantz, nominative singular servanz or servantz, nominative plural servant)

1. servant (one who serves)

Descendants

• ? English: servant
• French: servant