serve

serve
serve [sɜ:v]
1. transitive verb
   a. ( = work for) servir
• he has served the firm well il a bien servi l'entreprise
   b. to serve mass servir la messe
   c. [object] servir (as de)
• the kitchen serves her as an office la cuisine lui sert de bureau
• this old bike has served me well ce vieux vélo m'a bien rendu service
• it will serve my (or your etc) purpose cela fera l'affaire
• to serve sb's interests servir les intérêts de qn
• it serves no useful purpose cela ne sert à rien
► to serve sb right
• it serves him right c'est bien fait pour lui
• it serves you right for being so stupid cela t'apprendra à être si stupide
   d. (in shop, restaurant) servir
• to serve sb (with) sth servir qch à qn
• are you being served? est-ce qu'on s'occupe de vous ?
   e. [+ food, meal] servir (to sb à qn)
• dinner is served le dîner est servi
• "serves five" « pour cinq personnes »
   f. [library, hospital] desservir ; [utility] alimenter
• the power station serves a large district la centrale alimente une zone étendue
   g. ( = work out) to serve one's apprenticeship (as) faire son apprentissage (de)
• to serve time (Prison) faire de la prison
• he served over 25 years (Prison) il a fait plus de 25 ans de prison
   h. (Tennis) servir
2. intransitive verb
   a. servir
• to serve on a jury être membre d'un jury
• to serve in the army servir dans l'armée
   b. ( = be useful) servir (as de) être utile
• that table is not exactly what I want but it will serve cette table n'est pas exactement ce que je veux mais elle fera l'affaire
• it serves to show/explain ... cela sert à montrer/expliquer ...
   c. (Tennis) servir
• Murray to serve au service, Murray
3. noun
(Tennis) service m
• it's your serve c'est à vous de servir
► serve out separable transitive verb
   a. [+ meal, soup] servir
   b. [+ term of office, contract] finir ; [+ prison sentence] purger
► serve up separable transitive verb servir
* * *
[sɜːv] 1.
noun Sport service m

it's my serve — à moi de servir

to have a big serve — avoir un très bon service

2.
transitive verb
1) (work for) servir [country, cause, public]; travailler au service de [employer, family]

to serve somebody/something well — rendre de grands services à quelqu'un/quelque chose

2) (attend to customers) servir

are you being served? — on vous sert?

3) Culinary servir

to serve somebody with something — servir quelque chose à quelqu'un

serves four — (in recipe) pour quatre personnes

4) (provide facility) [public utility, power station, reservoir] alimenter; [public transport, library, hospital] desservir
5) (satisfy) servir [interests]; satisfaire [needs]
6) (function) être utile à

this old pen has served me well — ce vieux stylo m'a été très utile

if my memory serves me well — si j'ai bonne mémoire

to serve somebody as something — servir de quelque chose à quelqu'un

to serve a purpose ou function — être utile

to serve no useful purpose — ne servir à rien

to serve the ou somebody's purpose — faire l'affaire

7) (spend time)

to serve a term — Politics remplir un mandat

to serve one's time — (in prison) purger sa peine

to serve a sentence — purger une peine (de prison)

to serve five years — faire cinq ans de prison

8) Law

to serve a writ on somebody — assigner quelqu'un en justice

to serve a summons on somebody — citer quelqu'un à comparaître

to serve notice of something on somebody — Law, fig signifier quelque chose à quelqu'un

9) Sport servir
3.
intransitive verb
1) (in shop, church) servir; (at table) faire le service
2) (on committee, in government) exercer ses fonctions (as de)

to serve on — être membre de [committee, jury]

3) Military servir
4) (meet a need) faire l'affaire

to serve as something — servir de quelque chose

this should serve as a warning — cela devrait nous servir d'avertissement

the photo served as a reminder to me of the holidays — la photo me rappelait les vacances

5) Sport servir

Bruno to serve — au service, Bruno

•
Phrasal Verbs:
••

it serves you right! — ça t'apprendra!


English-French dictionary. 2013.

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  • Serve — Serve, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Served}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Serving}.] [OE. serven, servien, OF. & F. servir, fr. L. servire; akin to servus a servant or slave, servare to protect, preserve, observe; cf. Zend har to protect, haurva protecting. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • serve — [sɜːv ǁ sɜːrv] verb 1. [transitive] COMMERCE to supply customers with a particular product or service or with something they need: • The firm plans to open a London office to serve clients with investments and businesses in Europe. • JAL Group… …   Financial and business terms

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  • serve — vt served, serv·ing 1: to deliver, publish, or execute (notice or process) as required by law no notice of any such request was ever served on the husband National Law Journal 2: to make legal service upon (the person named in a process): inform… …   Law dictionary

  • serve — late 12c., to render habitual obedience to, from O.Fr. servir to serve, from L. servire to serve, originally be a slave, related to servus slave, perhaps from an Etruscan word (Cf. Etruscan proper names Servi, Serve). Meaning to attend to (a… …   Etymology dictionary

  • 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. [1913 Webster] The Lord shall give thee rest . . . from the hard bondage wherein thou… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • Serve — may refer to: * Serve (tennis) * Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment * Providing a non material good, as in the work of a servant * Supplying customers with food and drink, as in the work of a food server * Delivering a legal or… …   Wikipedia

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