(verb) : servĭo, īvi and ii, ītum, 4 (
* Imperf. servibas, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 50; fut. servibo, id. Men. 5, 9, 42; id. Merc. 3, 2, 3; Ter. Hec. 3, 5, 45: servibit,Plaut. Pers. 4, 4, 76; id. Trin. 2, 2, 27), (once pass., v. I. B. infra) [servus], to be a servant or slave, to serve, be in service (freq. and class.).
* Lit.
* Absol.: Ha. Quid tu, servusne es, an liber? Ps. Nunc quidem etiam servio, Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 16: nunc qui minus servio, quam si forem serva nata?id. Rud. 1, 3, 37: in liberatā terrā liberatores ejus servire,Liv. 34, 50: per centum annos,id. 39, 37, 5: an addictus, quem lex servire, donec solverit, jubet, servus sit,Quint. 7, 3, 26: qui Libertate caret, Serviet aeternum,Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 41: servire liberaliter,Ter. And. 1, 1, 11: serviet utiliter (captivus),Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 70 et saep.: servire juste (opp. injuste imperare),Cic. Rep. 3, 18, 28; id. Phil. 6, 7, 19: vincti per centum annos servistis,Liv. 39, 37: servit vetus hostis Cantaber, serā domitus catenā,Hor. C. 3, 8, 21.
* In gen., with dat. of object (a person or thing), to be devoted or subject to; to be of use or service to; to serve for, be fit or useful for; to do a service to, to comply with, gratify, humor, accommodate; to have respect to, to regard or care for; to consult, aim at, to accommodate one's self to, etc. (so esp. freq. in Cic.; cf.: pareo, appareo, ministro): tibi servio atque audiens sum imperii,Plaut. Truc. 1, 2, 25; Cic. Div. in Caecil. 15, 48: quoniam sibi (rei publicae) servissem semper, numquam mihi ... ut jam mihi servirem, consulerem meis,id. Planc. 38, 92; cf.: servire populo,id. ib. 4, 11; id. Fin. 5, 9, 27 et saep.: cum is, qui imperat aliis, servit ipse nulli cupiditati,id. Rep. 1, 34, 52; cf.: cum homines cupiditatibus iis, quibus ceteri serviunt, imperabunt,id. Lael. 22, 82: aetati hujus,id. Fin. 5, 9, 27: mori alicujus,Nep. Them. 1, 3: semper aut belli aut pacis serviit artibus,Vell. 1, 13, 3: amori aliorum flagitiosissime,Cic. Cat. 2, 4, 8: auribus alicujus,Caes. B. C. 2, 27: bello,id. B. G. 7, 34: brevitati,Cic. de Or. 2, 80, 327: commodis alicujus,id. Rep. 1, 4, 8; id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 8, § 24; id. Inv. 2, 45, 132: rei publicae commodis,id. Div. in Caecil. 20, 64; cf.: compendio suo privato,Caes. B. C. 3, 32: constantiae,Cic. Fam. 5, 16, 5: dignitati (with consulere rei publicae),id. Sest. 10, 23: dolori meo,id. ib. 6, 14: existimationi,Cic. Verr. 1, 10, 29; id. Att. 5, 11, 5: famae,id. ib. 5, 10, 2: gloriae,id. Tusc. 5, 3, 9: gravitati vocum aut suavitati,id. Or. 54, 182: vel honori multorum vel periculo (with obedire tempori),id. Brut. 69, 242: indulgentiae,id. Cael. 32, 79: iracundiae (with parere dolori),id. Prov. Cons. 1, 2: laudi et gloriae,id. Cat. 1, 9, 23: laudi existimationique,Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 2, § 5: numeris (orationis),id. Or. 52, 176: oculis civium,id. Phil. 8, 10, 29: pecuniae,id. Tusc. 5, 3, 9: personae,id. Off. 3, 29, 106: petitioni,Cic. Verr. 1, 9, 24: posteritati,id. Tusc. 1, 15, 35: rei familiari,id. Rosc. Am. 15, 43; cf. rei,Ter. Hec. 2, 1, 27: rumori,Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 14; Caes. B. G. 4, 5 fin.: tempori,Cic. Sest. 6, 14; id. Tusc. 3, 27, 66; id. Att. 8, 3, 6; 10, 7, 1: utilitati salutique,id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 9, § 27: valetudini,id. Fam. 16, 18, 1: vectigalibus,id. de Or. 2, 40, 171: venustati vel maxime,id. ib. 2, 78, 316; 2, 80, 327: verbis praecedentibus,Quint. 9, 4, 63.— Pass. impers.: ut communi utilitati serviatur,Cic. Off. 1, 10, 31: concisum est ita, ut non brevitati servitum sit, sed magis venustati,id. de Or. 2, 80, 327.
* Pass. (perh. only in the foll. passage): adsuescamus ... servis paucioribus serviri,Sen. Tranq. 9, 3.
* With homogeneous object: servitutem: qui in servitute est eo jure, quo servus, aut, ut antiqui dixerunt, qui servitutem servit,Quint. 7, 3, 26: tu usque a puero servitutem servivisti in Alide,Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 12: quorum majorum nemo servitutem servivit,Cic. Top. 6, 29; id. Mur. 29, 61: qui (cives) servitutem servissent,Liv. 40, 18, 7; 45, 15, 5: neque erile negotium plus curat quam si non servitutem serviat, Plaut. Mil. 2, 6, 2; 3, 1, 150 (not servitute, v. Ritschl ad h. l.).—So with dat. of person: me servitutem servire huic homini optumo,Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 31; id. Aul. 4, 1, 6; id. Rud. 3, 4, 42; cf.: sed is privatam servitutem servit illi an publicam?id. Capt. 2, 2, 84 (v. infra, II.): ego haud diu: ab ineunte adulescentiā tuis servivi servitutem imperiis,id. Trin. 2, 2, 21; and with apud: apud hunc servitutem servio,id. Mil. 2, 1, 17.
* With homogeneous object (cf. supra, I. δ): ab ineunte adulescentiā Tuis servivi servitutem imperiis et praeceptis, pater ... Meum animum tibi servitutem servire aequom censui,Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 21 sqq.
* Transf., of things.
* In gen., to help, assist, be serviceable to, be useful for (post-Aug.): ut totus truncus alienigenis surculis serviat,Col. 4, 29, 14; cf.: tabularia debent servire gallinis,id. 6, 3, 2: chartis serviunt calami,Plin. 16, 36, 64, § 157: candelae luminibus et funeribus serviunt,id. 16, 37, 70, § 178: eademque materia et cibis et probris serviat,id. 33, 12, 54, § 152: laetor quod domus aliquando C. Cassi, serviet domino non minori,Plin. Ep. 7, 24, 8.
* Esp., jurid. t. t., of buildings, lands, etc., to be subject to a servitude: praedia, quae serviebant,Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 9; so, aedes,id. Off. 3, 16, 67: neque servire quandam earum aedium partem in mancipi lege dixisset,id. de Or. 1, 39, 178: eodem numero (incorporalium) sunt et jura praediorum urbanorum et rusticorum, quae etiam servitutes vocantur,Gai. Inst. 2, 14 fin.; Paul. Sent. 1, 17; cf. Dig. 8, 2, 20, §§ 3 and 5; 8, 6, 8, § 1 al.; and v. servitus, II. B., and servus, II.