SERVANT

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does servant mean? 

• SERVANT (noun)
  The noun SERVANT has 2 senses:

1. a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

2. in a subordinate position

  Familiarity information: SERVANT used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SERVANT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A person working in the service of another (especially in the household)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

retainer; servant

Hypernyms ("servant" is a kind of...):

worker (a person who works at a specific occupation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "servant"):

body servant (a valet or personal maid)

cabin boy (a young man acting as a servant on a ship)

domestic; domestic help; house servant (a servant who is paid to perform menial tasks around the household)

factotum (a servant employed to do a variety of jobs)

familiar (a person attached to the household of a high official (as a pope or bishop) who renders service in return for support)

flunkey; flunky; lackey (a male servant (especially a footman))

major-domo; seneschal (the chief steward or butler of a great household)

manservant (a man servant)

menial (a domestic servant)

scullion (a kitchen servant employed to do menial tasks (especially washing))

servant girl; serving girl (a girl who is a servant)

Derivation:

serve (work for or be a servant to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

In a subordinate position

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

handmaid; handmaiden; servant

Context example:

the state cannot be a servant of the church

Hypernyms ("servant" is a kind of...):

subordinateness; subsidiarity (secondary importance)

Derivation:

serve (promote, benefit, or be useful or beneficial to)

 Context examples 

You are not to associate with servants.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Also White Fang had early come to differentiate between the family and the servants of the household.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Hannah told one of his servants about your breakfast party.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

She shot him and then herself—so the servants say.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Then my servant will call a cab, and I shall be with you in an instant.”

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I knocked gently and rang as quietly as possible, for I feared to disturb Lucy or her mother, and hoped to only bring a servant to the door.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Far down were the small dark figures of our servants, looking up at us.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Journeys, London, servants, horses, table—contractions and restrictions every where!

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

To be found there, even by a servant, would be unpleasant; but by the general (and he seemed always at hand when least wanted), much worse!

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

The servant of Mrs. Rushworth, the mother, had exposure in her power, and supported by her mistress, was not to be silenced.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)