All 3 Uses of
servile
in
The Brothers Karamazov
- He liked to put himself forward and entertain the company, ostensibly on equal terms, of course, though in reality he was on a servile footing with them.†
Chpt 3 *
- They are not servile, and even after two centuries of serfdom they are free in manner and bearing, yet without insolence, and not revengeful and not envious.†
Chpt 6
- His abject and servile characteristics disappeared, his malicious and sarcastic cynicism was all that remained.†
Chpt 12
Definitions:
-
(1)
(servile) too eager to serve or obey others -- often in a way that seems overly submissive, weak, or lacking self-respect
or:
related to low-status tasks -
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
You might want to remember this as sounding similar to servant. Both words come from the Latin word for slave (servus).