servile
/ˈsəɹ.vəl/adjective, noun
servile is spelled S-E-R-V-I-L-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,108th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, servile means “Excessively eager to please; obsequious” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in servile?
| Letters | 7: S-E-R-V-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 56,108th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is servile?
Servile appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,108th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce servile?
- UK /ˈsɜː(ɹ)ˌvaɪl/
- US /ˈsəɹ.vəl/
- US /ˈsəɹˌvaɪl/
Servile has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-servile.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of servile
- more servile comparative
- most servile superlative
- serviles plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does servile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Excessively eager to please; obsequious.
- 2
Slavish or submissive.
servile flattery servile obedience
- 3
Of or pertaining to slaves or slavery.
- 4
Not belonging to the original root.
a servile letter
- 5
Not sounded, but serving to lengthen the preceding vowel, like the e in tune.
noun
- 1
An element which forms no part of the original root.
- 2
A slave; a menial.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Servile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | servile |
| German | sklavisch , unterwürfig, servil, hündisch |
| Portuguese | servil |
| Spanish | servil |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does servile come from?
From Middle English servyle, from Old French servil, servile, from Latin servīlis, from servus (“slave”). By surface analysis, serve + -ile.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).