serve

Definition

An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play in various games.

Etymology

From Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).

Example Sentences

• "Whose serve is it?"
• "He had no power serve of his own, no backhand, no volley, no lob, no idea of pace or tactics."
• "The first serve of the game is from the right half court to the half diagonally opposite."