See Also: serviceable(dictionary)
serviceable(dictionary)

serviceable (iou)



serviceable adjective. ME.
[Old French servisable, from service: see SERVICE noun1, -ABLE.]
Ready to do service; willing to be of service or assistance. ME.
R. L. Stevenson The storekeeper..one of the most serviceable of men.
b. Of an action or state: involving or expressing readiness to serve. L16-E18.
c. Subservient. rare. E17-M19.
Of food: suitable for serving. rare. Only in LME.
a. Of a thing: able to be used for an appropriate purpose; capable of performing a certain function or withstanding adverse conditions. Also, suitable for ordinary use, functional rather than decorative. LME.
J. Higgins His Arabic was not as good as his English, but serviceable. K. Moore She would have chosen the plainer..more serviceable shelves.
b. Of a person: useful. M17.
George Eliot Johnson was a most serviceable subordinate.
servicea'bility noun (a) readiness for service; usefulness; (b) the capacity of a machine to be maintained or repaired: M19.
serviceableness noun (a) (now rare) readiness to assist or serve, helpfulness; (b) usefulness: M16.
serviceably adverb (a) obediently; (b) usefully: M16.