# servile

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈsɜː(ɹ)ˌvaɪl/ · frequency rank #56,425

## Definitions
1. Excessively eager to please; obsequious.
2. Slavish or submissive.
3. Slavish or submissive.
4. Not belonging to the original root.
5. Not sounded, but serving to lengthen the preceding vowel, like the e in tune.

## Etymology
From Middle English servyle, from Old French servil, servile, from Latin servīlis, from servus (“slave”). By surface analysis, serve + -ile.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/servile