Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/serwos

Apparently from Proto-Indo-European *ser- +‎ *-wos, but the exact sense of the root *ser- from which *serwos derives is uncertain. Either:

• “to bind”, in the sense “one who is bound (in duty/labor)”, or originally denoting a physical binding;
• “to guard” (comparing Ancient Greek ῥύομαι (rhúomai)), thus perhaps originally meaning one whose job it is to protect. This seems to be the commonly favored sense;^[1]
• “to plunder”, based on the assumption that the Latin sense of “slave” is original and those taken captive in war were converted to servants.

See *ser- for the various senses.

*serwos m

1. guardian? (meaning uncertain)

• *serw-ā-ō

• *serw-jō (4th-conjugation verb)?
  • >? Latin: serviō
  • >? Umbrian: 𐌑𐌄𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌖 (seritu, 3sg. imperative) (Poultney and De Vaan argue that the Umbrian term is likely from *serwī-)^[2]
  • >? Pre-Samnite: οσερϝια(τοδ) (oserwia(tod))^[3]
• *op-seri-tlo-m?
  • Umbrian: ooserclome (“watchtower”)
• *serwV- (“watching?”)
  • Oscan: 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌄𐌖𐌊𐌉𐌃𐌉𐌌𐌀𐌃𐌄𐌍 (sereukidimaden), σερευκιδιμαμ (sereukidimam)
• *ser(w)-iom?
  • >? Pre-Samnite: οσερϝια(τοδ) (oserwia(tod)) (possibly a denominative verb prefixed with *op-)
  • *an-ser(w)-iom (“birdwatch”)?
    • *an-ser(w)iāō (“to watch birds”)?
      • Umbrian: 𐌀𐌍𐌆𐌄𐌓𐌉𐌀𐌕𐌖 (anzeriatu)

• Latin: servus (see there for further descendants)