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sir·vente

(sîr-väɴt, sər-vĕnt) also sir·ven·tes (sər-vĕntĭs, -vĕnts)

n. pl. sir·ventes (-väɴt, -vĕnts) also sir·vent·es (-vĕntəs)

A form of lyric verse of the Provençal troubadours satirizing political figures, personal rivals, or social morals.

[French, from Provençal sirventes, from Old Provençal, from sirvent, servant (the position of a lover towards his mistress), from Latin serviēns, servient-, present participle of servīre, to serve, from servus, servant.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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