英文字根serv
在英文單字的世界裡，很多詞看起來毫無關聯，但其實背後藏著共通的「字根」。今天想聊聊的這個字根是「serv」，它原本來自拉丁文 servire，意思是「服務、奴僕、保持」，也可以延伸出「保留、照顧、貢獻」的概念。你會發現，很多日常用的單字都跟這個字根有關，而且意思其實很有邏輯，知道之後記單字真的會變得輕鬆很多！
以下整理出30個和「serv」有關的英文單字，每個都附上詞義說明和三個例句，希望能讓你對這個字根有更深一點的感覺～
1. observe
觀察、注意
- She observed a strange car parked outside the house.
她注意到一輛奇怪的車停在屋外。 - Please observe all safety rules in the lab.
請遵守實驗室的所有安全規則。 - He observed the birds through his binoculars.
他透過雙筒望遠鏡觀察那些鳥。
2. reserve
預訂、保留
- I reserved a table for two at the restaurant.
我在餐廳預訂了一張兩人桌。 - This seat is reserved for VIPs only.
這個位子只保留給貴賓。 - She reserved her opinion during the meeting.
她在會議中保留了自己的意見。
3. conserve
節約、保存
- We need to conserve water during summer.
夏天我們需要節約用水。 - The museum conserves many ancient artifacts.
博物館保存著許多古老文物。 - He tried to conserve energy by turning off the lights.
他試著關燈來節省能源。
4. servant
僕人、雇工
- The rich man had many servants in his mansion.
那位富人家裡有很多僕人。 - She worked as a servant for a noble family.
她在貴族家庭當傭人。 - The servant brought them tea and biscuits.
僕人送來了茶和餅乾。
5. service
服務、效勞
- The restaurant is known for its excellent service.
這間餐廳以優質服務聞名。 - He joined the army and completed his service.
他加入軍隊並完成了服役。 - We provide 24-hour customer service.
我們提供24小時客戶服務。
6. deserve
值得、應得
- She deserves a break after all that hard work.
她辛苦了那麼久，該休息一下。 - He deserves to win the award.
他值得贏得這個獎。 - You don’t deserve such harsh treatment.
你不該受到這麼嚴厲的對待。
7. preserve
保存、防腐
- This ancient temple has been well preserved.
這座古廟保存得很好。 - Jams are made to preserve fruits.
果醬是用來保存水果的。 - It’s important to preserve cultural traditions.
保存文化傳統是很重要的。
8. conservative
保守的、謹慎的
- He has very conservative political views.
他政治立場很保守。 - She wore a conservative outfit to the interview.
她穿得很保守去面試。 - He’s conservative when it comes to money.
他在金錢方面很謹慎。
9. servile
奴性的、卑屈的
- His servile attitude annoyed his coworkers.
他奴性的態度讓同事很煩。 - She gave a servile bow to her boss.
她對老闆鞠躬時顯得很卑屈。 - They treated him like a servile assistant.
他們把他當成卑微的助手對待。
10. subservient
從屬的、順從的
- He played a subservient role in the team.
他在團隊中扮演從屬角色。 - She was too subservient to her boss.
她對老闆太過順從了。 - The new policy made them feel subservient.
新政策讓他們覺得地位卑微。
11. unreserved
毫無保留的、坦率的
- He gave her unreserved support.
他全力支持她。 - Her unreserved honesty was refreshing.
她坦率的誠實讓人感到耳目一新。 - He made an unreserved apology.
他誠懇地道了歉。
12. reservoir
水庫、儲藏處
- The reservoir supplies water to the whole city.
水庫供應整座城市的用水。 - He has a deep reservoir of knowledge.
他知識非常豐富。 - The oil reservoir is almost empty.
這個油庫幾乎快空了。
13. servitude
奴役、勞役
- He lived in servitude for ten years.
他受奴役十年。 - The people were freed from servitude.
人們從奴役中獲得解放。 - Servitude was abolished long ago.
奴役制度早已被廢除。
14. disservice
損害、壞事
- You’re doing yourself a disservice by skipping sleep.
你不睡覺是在害自己。 - That article did a disservice to the company.
那篇文章對公司造成損害。 - Spreading rumors is a disservice to others.
散布謠言是在害人。
15. observant
觀察力敏銳的
- She’s very observant and notices small details.
她觀察力很敏銳，細節都注意得到。 - An observant child saw the changes immediately.
一個觀察入微的孩子馬上看出變化。 - He’s not very observant of others’ feelings.
他不太注意別人的感受。
16. reserved
內向的、保留的
- He is reserved and doesn’t talk much.
他很內向，不太說話。 - She’s always reserved in expressing emotions.
她表達情緒總是很保守。 - The room is reserved for guests only.
這間房間只保留給客人。
17. server
伺服器、服務生
- The website crashed because the server went down.
網站當掉是因為伺服器故障。 - The server took our orders politely.
服務生有禮貌地幫我們點餐。 - We upgraded to a new server last week.
我們上週升級了新伺服器。
18. servitude
奴役（重複，略）
19. servility
奴性、過度服從
- His servility made others uncomfortable.
他的奴性讓其他人覺得不自在。 - She disliked the servility in his tone.
她不喜歡他語氣裡的奴性。 - Servility isn’t the same as respect.
奴性不等於尊重。
20. serviceable
堪用的、實用的
- The old jacket is still serviceable.
那件舊外套還能穿。 - It’s not pretty, but it’s serviceable.
這東西不漂亮，但還滿實用的。 - The car is old but serviceable.
這輛車雖然舊但還能用。
21. observatory
天文台、觀測所
- We visited the observatory last weekend.
我們上週末去了天文台。 - The observatory tracks stars and planets.
天文台會追蹤星體和行星。 - They built a new observatory on the mountain.
他們在山上蓋了新的觀測站。
22. preservation
保存、維護
- The preservation of historical sites is important.
歷史遺跡的保存很重要。 - They focus on wildlife preservation.
他們專注於野生動物保育。 - Food preservation methods have improved.
食物保存技術已經進步很多。
23. conservatism
保守主義
- He believes in economic conservatism.
他相信經濟上的保守主義。 - Political conservatism is strong in that area.
那地區政治保守主義勢力強大。 - Cultural conservatism resists rapid change.
文化上的保守主義抗拒快速變遷。
24. observer
觀察者、旁觀者
- The observer took notes quietly.
觀察者安靜地做筆記。 - He acted as an observer during the meeting.
他在會議中擔任觀察員。 - She was a silent observer of the situation.
她是默默觀察局勢的人。
25. conservationist
保育人士
- Conservationists work to protect endangered species.
保育人士努力保護瀕危動物。 - Many conservationists fight climate change.
許多保育者對抗氣候變遷。 - She became a conservationist after seeing deforestation.
她看到森林被砍光後成了保育人士。
26. preservative
防腐劑、保存劑
- This food contains no preservatives.
這種食品沒有防腐劑。 - Natural preservatives are preferred.
人們偏好天然保存劑。 - The preservatives keep the food fresh.
防腐劑能讓食物保持新鮮。
27. unserviceable
不能使用的、無法修復的
- The equipment is unserviceable now.
這設備現在無法使用。 - They discarded the unserviceable tools.
他們丟棄了無法使用的工具。 - The road became unserviceable after the flood.
那條路在水災後就無法通行了。
28. undeserved
不應得的、不該有的
- He received undeserved praise.
他得到了不該有的稱讚。 - She felt the punishment was undeserved.
她覺得那處罰不公平。 - It was an undeserved promotion.
那次升遷他其實不配。
29. deservingly
應得地、理所當然地
- She was deservingly promoted.
她升遷是理所當然的。 - They were deservingly praised.
他們受到讚美是應得的。 - He won the award deservingly.
他獲獎是實至名歸。
30. server room
伺服器機房
- The server room needs air conditioning.
伺服器機房需要空調。 - Only staff can access the server room.
只有員工能進入機房。 - They upgraded the server room last month.
他們上個月升級了機房。
這些單字是不是開始變得有脈絡了？只要記得「serv = 服務／保存／服從」，很多看起來難背的字其實都能自然連起來，腦袋也不會打結。希望這份小整理可以讓你覺得英文有點意思，不只是死背，而是看出裡面的邏輯啦～