Service

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈsɜːvɪs/

Definitions

1. An action performed to assist or benefit a person ; an organized system providing a public function or utility ; a formal religious event or ceremony
2. Work or duty done to fulfill a need or offer assistance ; a structured provision of public or commercial facilities ; a ceremonial practice conducted within a religious context
3. The act of serving or aiding someone in any task ; a setup that delivers resources or support to the community ; a ritual observed as part of worship or spiritual service

Etymology: Few English words have a more tangled identity than "service," which has two unrelated origins that happen to share a spelling. The sense of helping or attending to someone comes from the Latin "servitium," meaning slavery or the condition of being a servant, built on "servus," servant or slave. Old French carried it into the language as "servise," and English took it up in Middle English, where it replaced the native Old English term "þeġnung," which meant something like service rendered by a thane or retainer. The other "service" is a tree. Its name comes from Old English "syrfe," from Vulgar Latin "sorbea," from the Latin "sorbus," the service tree whose fruit is the sorb. Its plural, "serves," was later reinterpreted as the singular "service," so the familiar word and the fruit tree ended up sharing one spelling by accident.

Synonyms: assistance, help, support

Antonyms: neglect, abandonment