7. To contribute or conduce to; to promote; to be sufficient for; to satisfy; as, to serve one's turn.
Turn it into some advantage, by observing where it can serve another end.
Jer. Taylor. 8. To answer or be (in the place of something) to; as, a sofa serves one for a seat and a couch.
9. To treat; to behave one's self to; to requite; to act toward; as, he served me very ill.
10. To work; to operate; as, to serve the guns.
11. (Law) (a) To bring to notice, deliver, or execute, either actually or constructively, in such manner
as the law requires; as, to serve a summons. (b) To make legal service opon (a person named in a
writ, summons, etc.); as, to serve a witness with a subpœna.
12. To pass or spend, as time, esp. time of punishment; as, to serve a term in prison.
13. To copulate with; to cover; as, a horse serves a mare; — said of the male.
14. (Tennis) To lead off in delivering
15. (Naut.) To wind spun yarn, or the like, tightly around (a rope or cable, etc.) so as to protect it from
chafing or from the weather. See under Serving.
To serve an attachment or a writ of attachment (Law), to levy it on the person or goods by seizure,
or to seize. — To serve an execution (Law), to levy it on a lands, goods, or person, by seizure or
taking possession. — To serve an office, to discharge a public duty. — To serve a process (Law),
in general, to read it, so as to give due notice to the party concerned, or to leave an attested copy with
him or his attorney, or his usual place of abode. — To serve a warrant, to read it, and seize the person
against whom it is issued. — To serve a writ (Law), to read it to the defendant, or to leave an attested
copy at his usual place of abode. — To serve one out, to retaliate upon; to requite. "I'll serve you out
for this." C. Kingsley. — To serve one right, to treat, or cause to befall one, according to his deserts; —
used commonly of ill deserts; as, it serves the scoundrel right. — To serve one's self of, to avail
one's self of; to make use of. [A Gallicism]
I will serve myself of this concession.
Chillingworth. —
To serve out, to distribute; as, to serve out rations. — To serve the time or the hour, to regulate
one's actions by the requirements of the time instead of by one's duty; to be a timeserver. [Obs.]
They think herein we serve the time, because thereby we either hold or seek preferment.
Hooker. Syn. — To obey; minister to; subserve; promote; aid; help; assist; benefit; succor.
Serve
(Serve) v. i.
1. To be a servant or a slave; to be employed in labor or other business for another; to be in subjection
or bondage; to render menial service.
The Lord shall give thee rest . . . from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.
Isa. xiv.
3. 2. To perform domestic offices; to be occupied with household affairs; to prepare and dish up food, etc.
But Martha . . . said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
Luke x. 40.
