serviceman
UK[ˈsɜːvɪsmən]US[ˈsɜːrvɪsmən]
n
a man who is a member of the armed forces.
n
a man whose job is to maintain and repair equipment.
Morpheme Breakdown
service
man
service
act of serving
man
person
Etymology
the word 'serviceman' is a modern english compound formed from two distinct and ancient roots. the first element, 'service', traces back to latin servitium, meaning 'slavery' or 'servitude', derived from servus (slave). this evolved through old french to denote the general concept of performing duties for others or an organization. the second element, 'man', originates from proto-germanic mann- and old english mann, broadly meaning 'person'. when combined in the 20th century, the compound literally means 'a person engaged in service', which specialized to refer primarily to a member of the military or a maintenance technician, reflecting the organized, dutiful nature of these roles.
Analysis
Structure: service (act of serving) + man (person)
service: from old french servise, from latin servitium 'slavery, servitude', from servus 'slave'. functions as the core noun denoting the act or condition of serving.
man: from old english mann 'person, human being'. functions as a noun-forming suffix specifying a person associated with the preceding element.
Examples
her grandfather was a serviceman during the war.
we called a serviceman to fix the broken heating system.
the store offers discounts to all active-duty servicemen and veterans.