servus

1.

servus, a, um, adj. [referred by the ancients to servo:

servi ex eo appellati sunt, quod imperatores servos vendere, ac per hoc servare, nec occidere solent,

Just. Inst. 1, 3, 3; but prob. from root svar-; Lith. svaras, a weight; cf. Gr. herma; O. H. Germ. swari, burdensome; Germ. schwer, heavy; cf. also serius], slavish, servile, subject.

I.

In gen.

A.

With homo (= 2. servus;

mostly ante-class.): non decet superbum esse hominem servom,

Plaut. As. 2, 4, 64; id. Mil. 2, 6, 80; id. Stich. 1, 2, 1; 5, 4, 10; id. Ep. 1, 1, 58; 3, 1, 7; Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 62.—

B.

With other subjects (not freq. till after the Aug. per.):

octo milia liberorum servorumque capitum sunt capta,

Liv. 29, 29:

corpori, quod servum fortuna erat, vim fecit,

id. 38, 24:

Graeciae urbes servae et vectigales (opp. liberae),

id. 34, 58:

civitas,

id. 25, 31:

Lacedaemon,

id. 34, 41:

serva manus,

Ov. F. 6, 558:

o imitatores, servum pecus!

Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 19:

serva aqua, i. e. servorum,

Ov. Am. 1, 6, 26; cf. Petr. 71:

servam operam, linguam liberam herus me jussit habere,

Plaut. Pers. 2, 4, 9:

omnia non serva et maxime regna hostilia ducunt (Romani),

Sall. H. 4, 61, 17 Dietsch:

reges serva omnia et subjecta imperio suo esse velint,

Liv. 37, 54; 42, 46: statu libera quicquid peperit, hoc servum heredis est, Dig. 40, 7, 16.—

II.

Jurid. t. t., of buildings, lands, etc., liable to certain burdens, subject to a servitude:

libera (praedia) meliore jure sunt quam serva,

Cic. Agr. 3, 2, 9:

fundus,

Dig. 8, 6, 6:

aedes,

ib. 8, 2, 35:

area,

ib. 8, 2, 34 al.; cf. servio, II. B., and servitus, II B.—Hence,

2.

servus ( -ŏs ), i, m., and serva, ae, f., a slave, servant, serf, serving-man; a female slave, maid-servant.

A.

Masc. (syn.: famulus, mancipium), Enn. ap. Non. 471, 19 (Com. v. 5 Vahl.); Cato ap. Gell. 10, 3, 17: servi, ancillae, id. ap. Fest. s. v. prohibere, p. 234 Müll.; cf.:

Ulixes domi etiam contumelias servorum ancillarumque pertulit,

Cic. Off. 1, 31, 113:

servus armiger,

Plaut. Cas. 2, 3, 39:

dotalis,

id. As. 1, 1, 72:

frugi,

id. Aul. 4, 1, 1:

graphicus et quantivis pretii,

id. Ep. 3, 3, 29:

nequam et malus,

id. Poen. 5, 2, 70:

scelestus, infidelis,

id. Trin. 2, 4, 126:

peculiosus,

id. Rud. 1, 2, 24:

peculiaris,

id. Capt. prol. 20:

fallax,

Ov. Am. 1, 15, 17:

servus a pedibus,

Cic. Att. 8, 5, 1:

a manu,

Suet. Caes. 74:

aliquem servum sibi habere ad manum,

Cic. de Or. 3, 60, 225: publici, public slaves, S. C. ap. Front. Aquaed. 100; Varr. ap. Gell. 13, 13, 4; Cic. Phil. 8, 8, 24; Liv. 9, 29 fin. et saep.; cf. Dig. 1, 5, 5.—Prov.: quot servi, tot hostes, Sinn. Capito ap. Fest. s. v. quot, p. 261 Müll.; cf. Sen. Ep. 47, 3; Macr. S. 1, 11 med. —Esp.: poenae servus, a slave of punishment, i. e. condemned to servile labor, Just. Inst. 1, 12, 3; Dig. 48, 19, 17.—

2.

Trop.:

vidit enim eos, qui se judiciorum dominos dici volebant, harum cupiditatum esse servos,

Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 22, § 58:

neque tam servi illi dominorum, quam tu libidinum,

id. ib. 2, 4, 50, §

112: omnium libidinum servi,

Plin. Ep. 8, 22, 1:

adulescens libertorum suorum libertus servorumque servus,

Vell. 2, 73, 1:

servus potestatis,

Cic. Cael. 32, 79; cf.

also the doubtful reading: legum omnes servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus,

id. Clu. 53, 146 (where B. and K. have omnes servimus).—

B.

Fem. (mostly anteclass. for ancilla):

servae sint istae an liberae,

Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 62:

ego serva sum,

id. Cist. 4, 2, 99; id. Pers. 4, 4, 63; id. Poen. 5, 4, 31:

serva nata,

id. Rud. 1, 3, 37:

servum servaque natum regnum occupasse,

Liv. 1, 47 fin.:

serva Briseis,

Hor. C. 2, 4, 3 et saep.