Etymology

self-service

self-ser·vice

Today it means: The practice of serving oneself, usually when purchasing items. Full definition →

English service ← Middle English servise ← Old English serfis
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
  3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
  4. Old Englishself
  5. Old Englishself-
  6. Middle Englishself-
  7. Englishself-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ser-der.?
  9. Proto-Italic*serwos
  10. Latinservus
  11. Latinservitium
  12. Old Frenchservise
  13. Old Englishserfis
  14. Middle Englishservise
  15. Englishservice
  16. English todayself-service

From self- + service.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.