service

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Employment in duties or work for another, as for a government: has been in the company's service for 15 years.
2. n. A government branch or department and its employees: the diplomatic service.
3. n. The armed forces of a nation: joined the service right after college.
4. n. A branch of the armed forces of a nation.
5. n. The performance of work or duties for a superior or as a servant: found the butler's service to be excellent.
6. n. Work done for others as an occupation or business: has done service for us as a consultant.
7. n. An act or a variety of work done for others, especially for pay: offers a superior service to that of his competitors; provides full catering services.
8. n. A department or branch of a hospital staff that provides specified patient care: the anesthesiology service.
9. n. Installation, maintenance, or repairs provided or guaranteed by a dealer or manufacturer: a dealer with full parts and service.
10. n. A facility providing the public with the use of something, such as water or transportation.
11. n. Assistance; help: was of great service to him during his illness.
12. n. An act of assistance or benefit; a favor: My friend did me a service in fixing the door.
13. n. Active devotion to God, as through good works or prayer.
14. n. A religious rite.
15. n. The serving of food or the manner in which it is served.
16. n. A set of dishes or utensils: a silver tea service.
17. n. Sports The act, manner, or right of serving in many court games; a serve.
18. n. Copulation with a female animal. Used of male animals, especially studs.
19. n. Law The serving of a writ or summons.
20. n. The material, such as cord, used in binding or wrapping rope.
21. n. An answering service.
22. v. To make fit for use; adjust, repair, or maintain: service a car.
23. v. To provide services to.
24. v. To make interest payments on (a debt).
25. v. To copulate with (a female animal). Used of a male animal, especially studs.
26. v. Slang To have sex with.
27. adj. Of or relating to the armed forces of a country.
28. adj. Intended for use in supplying or serving: a service elevator; the service entrance.
29. adj. Offering repairs or maintenance: a service guarantee; a road service area.
30. adj. Offering services to the public in response to need or demand: a service industry.
31. idiom. at (someone's) service Ready to help or be of use.
32. idiom. be of service To be ready to help or be useful.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of serving, or attendance, in any sense; the rendering of duty to another; obedience; the performance of any office or labor for another.
2. n. Specifically.
3. n. Spiritual obedience, reverence, and love.
4. n. The duty which a tenant owes to a lord for his fee: thus, personal service consists in homage and fealty, etc.; annual service in rent, suit to the court of the lord, etc.; accidental services in heriots, reliefs, etc.
5. n. Place or position of a servant; employment as a servant; state of being or acting as a servant; menial employ or capacity: as, to be out of service.
6. n. Labor performed for another; assistance rendered; obligation conferred; duty done or required; office.
7. n. Duty performed in, or appropriate to, any office or charge; official function: as, the diplomatic service; the consular service; hence, specifically, military or naval duty; performance of the duties of a soldier or sailor; formerly, a bold and daring performance of such duties; also, the army or navy as a profession.
8. n. A useful office; an advantage conferred or brought about; benefit or good performed, done, or caused; use; employment.
9. n. Profession of respect uttered or sent: as, my service to you, sir.
10. n. Suit as a lover; professed love.
11. n. Public religious worship and instruction conducted according to the forms or methods prescribed by ecclesiastical law, precept, or custom in any given communion: as, the services for the following week are, etc.
12. n. A liturgical form prescribed for public worship; also, a form prescribed for public worship or ceremonial of some special character; an office: as, the marriage service.
13. n. A full set of musical settings of the congregational or choral canticles, chants, etc., of a liturgy, especially of the Anglican liturgy. It does not include metrical hymns or special anthems. The full list of parts for the Anglican morning prayer, communion office, and evening prayer includes the Venite, Te Deum, Benedicite, Benedictus (Dominus), Jubilate, Kyrie, Nicene Creed, Sanctus, Agnus, Benedictus (qui venit), Gloria in Excelsis, Magnificat, Cantate, Nunc Dimittis, and Deus Misereatur; but all of these are not usually contained in any one service.
14. n. Things required for use; furniture. Especially
15. n. An assortment of table-linen.
16. n. That which is served. A course served up at table.
17. n. The portion served to an individual; an allowance of food or drink.
18. n. In law. See service of a writ, etc., below, and serve, v. t., 17.
19. n. In lawn-tennis, that striking of the ball with the racket which commences a turn of play; also, the ball thus struck: as, he made a swift service.
20. n. The small cordage wound round a rope in serving. Also serving.
21. n. That which is supplied or furnished; the act or means of supplying something which is in general demand, or of furnishing specific accommodation: said of transportation: as, railway or mail service; cab service: also of the distribution of water and light: as, electric-light service.
22. n. A service-pipe.
23. n. A service in which music is used as much as possible.
24. n. Figuratively, to have been put to hard use or wear.
25. n. Same as service-tree.
26. n. The fruit of the service-tree.
27. n. The act of copulation between domesticated animals, especially cattle and horses.
28. Used ordinarily and every day, as distinguished from use under unusual conditions or in an emergency.

Wiktionary

1. n. An event in which an entity takes the responsibility that something desirable happens on the behalf of another entity.
2. n. economics Action or work that is produced, then traded, bought or sold, then finally consumed.
3. n. computing A function that is provided by one program or machine for another.
4. n. The state of being subordinate to or employed by an individual or group
5. n. The military.
6. n. A set of dishes or utensils.
7. n. sports The act of initially starting, or serving, the ball in play in tennis, volleyball, and other games.
8. n. A religious rite or ritual.
9. n. law The serving, or delivery, of a summons or writ.
10. n. A taxi shared among unrelated passengers, each of whom pays part of the fare; often, it has a fixed route between cities.
11. n. service tree
12. v. transitive To serve.
13. v. transitive To perform maintenance.
14. v. transitive, vulgar To perform a sexual act.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. (Bot.) A name given to several trees and shrubs of the genus Pyrus, as Pyrus domestica and P. torminalis of Europe, the various species of mountain ash or rowan tree, and the American shad bush (see Shad bush, under shad). They have clusters of small, edible, applelike berries.
2. n. The act of serving; the occupation of a servant; the performance of labor for the benefit of another, or at another's command; attendance of an inferior, hired helper, slave, etc., on a superior, employer, master, or the like; also, spiritual obedience and love.
3. n. The deed of one who serves; labor performed for another; duty done or required; office.
4. n. Office of devotion; official religious duty performed; religious rites appropriate to any event or ceremonial.
5. n. Hence, a musical composition for use in churches.
6. n. Duty performed in, or appropriate to, any office or charge; official function; hence, specifically, military or naval duty; performance of the duties of a soldier.
7. n. Useful office; advantage conferred; that which promotes interest or happiness; benefit; avail.
8. n. Profession of respect; acknowledgment of duty owed.
9. n. The act and manner of bringing food to the persons who eat it; order of dishes at table; also, a set or number of vessels ordinarily used at table.
10. n. (Law) The act of bringing to notice, either actually or constructively, in such manner as is prescribed by law.
11. n. (Naut.) The materials used for serving a rope, etc., as spun yarn, small lines, etc.
12. n. (Tennis) The act of serving the ball.
13. n. Act of serving or covering. See Serve, v. t., 13.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. mate with
2. v. make fit for use
3. n. tableware consisting of a complete set of articles (silver or dishware) for use at table
4. v. be used by; as of a utility
5. n. the act of delivering a writ or summons upon someone
6. n. periodic maintenance on a car or machine
7. n. an act of help or assistance
8. n. work done by one person or group that benefits another
9. n. the act of mating by male animals
10. n. (law) the acts performed by an English feudal tenant for the benefit of his lord which formed the consideration for the property granted to him
11. n. the performance of duties by a waiter or servant
12. n. a force that is a branch of the armed forces
13. n. a company or agency that performs a public service; subject to government regulation
14. n. the act of public worship following prescribed rules
15. n. Canadian writer (born in England) who wrote about life in the Yukon Territory (1874-1958)
16. n. (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play
17. n. employment in or work for another
18. n. a means of serving