# सेवा (sevā)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/seva

सेवा (sevā) is a Sanskrit word meaning visiting or frequenting, service or attendance, worship, homage, reverence, and devotion, sexual intercourse, addiction to, practice, or frequent enjoyment of, service, attendance, or servitude. Its 20 recorded definitions are grouped into 7 contexts, among them Service, Attendance, Servitude, Practice, Use, Addiction, Indulgence, Visiting, Frequenting, Resorting To.

- **Roots:** कृ (kṛ), सेव् (sev)
- **Etymology:** E. षेव् to serve, affs. अङ् and टाप् । — E. ṣev to serve, affs. aṅ and ṭāp
- **SLP1:** `sevA`  **IAST:** sevā  **Devanagari:** सेवा
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sev%C4%81
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/seva/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** सेव (seva)

## Meanings by context

### Service, Attendance, Servitude (10 definitions)
- service or attendance  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > service, attendance on ( loc. gen., or comp.; सेवां - (sevāṃ-) √ कृ (√kṛ), with gen., ‘to be in the service of’), Mn.; MBh. &c. [ ID=252281 ]
- Service, servitude, dependence, or attendance.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 1138-a ] सेवा (sevā) [ सेव् - अ (sev-a) ] 1 Service, servitude, dependence; attendance; सेवा (sevā) ं (sevāṃ) लाघवकारिणीं कृतधियः स्थाने श्ववृत्तिं विदुः (lāghavakāriṇīṃ kṛtadhiyaḥ sthāne śvavṛttiṃ viduḥ) Mudrārākṣasa (Bombay) 3. 14; हनिसेवा (sevā) न कर्तव्या (hanisevā na kartavyā) Hitopadeśa (Nirṇaya Sāgara Edition) 3. 11
- 1. Service or servitude. 2. Worship or homage. 3. Addition to.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 943 ] सेवा (sevā) f. ( - वा (-vā) ) 1 Service, servitude. 2 Worship, homage. 3 Addition to. E. षेव (ṣeva) to serve, affs. अङ् (aṅ) and टाप् (ṭāp). [ ID=42740 ]
- Service, worship  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 866-b ] सेवा (sevā) ( वा ) ((vā)) 1. f. Service, worship. [ ID=42531 ]
- 1. Service, attendance, or servitude. 2. Devotion, worship, or homage. 3. Addition to. 4. Use, practice, or employment. 5. Resorting to or frequenting.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 796-06 ] सेवा (sevā) f. 1. Service, attendance, servitude, सेवा (sevā) ं लाघवकारिणीं कृतधियः स्थाने श्ववृत्तिं विदुः (sevāṃ lāghavakāriṇīṃ kṛtadhiyaḥ sthāne śvavṛttiṃ viduḥ) Mud. iii.; 2. devotion, worship, homage; 3. addition to; 4. use, practice, employment; 5. resorting to, frequenting. [ ID=41565 ]
- 1. Service or servitude. 2. Worship or homage. 3. Addition to. 4. Use, practice, or employment. 5. Resorting to or frequenting.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 803-a ] सेवा (sevā) f. ( - वा (-vā) ) 1. Service, servitude. 2. Worship, homage. 3. Addition to. 4. Use, practise, employment. 5. Resorting to, frequenting. E. षेव् (ṣev) to serve, affs. अङ् (aṅ) and टाप् । (ṭāp.) [ ID=45039 ]
- 1. Service. 2. Servitude. 3. Practice. 4. Worship. 5. Homage.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 1060-b ] सेवा (sevā) sev + ā, f. 1. Service, Man. 4, 5; Vikr. d. 42. 2. Servitude, Hit. i. d. 136, M.M. 3. Practice, Rājat. 5, 280. 4. Worship, Bhag. 4, 34. 5. Homage, Rājat. 5, 154. — Comp. A-, f. avoiding to serve, Man. 2, 96. Vāra-, f. 1. harlotry. 2. a set of courtesans. Strī-, f. libertinism. Hina- ( vb. hā ), f. serving a low person, Böhtl. Ind. Spr. 3355. [ ID=16376 ]
- 1. Service, attendance, worship, or devotion. 2. Use, practice, or employment. 3. Sexual intercourse.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 634 ] सेवा (sevā) f. visit, service, attendance, worship, devotion to, use, practice, employment; sexual intercourse with ( gen. or —°). [ ID=38029 ]
- serving or reverencing  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 277-a ] sevā, f. a serving or reverencing. [ √sev, 1149. ] [ ID=4711 ]
- 1. Service, attendance, or servitude. 2. Worship or homage. 3. Devotion to. 4. Use, practice, or employment. 5. Resorting to or frequenting.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 1135-b ] Sevā, f. service, attendance, servitude; worship, homage; devotion or addiction to; use, practice, employment; resorting to, frequenting. —Sevā-kāku, us, f. change of voice in service (i. e. sometimes speaking loudly, sometimes softly, sometimes angrily, sometimes sorrowfully). —Sevā-dharma, as, m. the duty or rule of service; the functions or obligations of service. —Sevā-bhṛt, t, t, t, maintaining service, doing service, serving. —Sevāvalamba (°vā-av°), as, ā, am, depending on the service of another. —Sevā-vyavahāra, as, m. the practice of service. [ ID=52679 ]

### Practice, Use, Addiction, Indulgence (3 definitions)
- addiction to, practice, or frequent enjoyment of  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > addiction to, indulgence in, practice or employment or frequent enjoyment of ( comp. ), Nir.; Mn.; MBh. &c. [ ID=252284 ]
- Addiction, devotion, or fondness  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 1138-a ] सेवा (sevā) [ सेव् - अ (sev-a) ] 3 Addiction or devotion to, fondness for
- use, practice, or employment  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 1138-a ] सेवा (sevā) [ सेव् - अ (sev-a) ] 4 Use, practice, employment, exercise

### Visiting, Frequenting, Resorting To (2 definitions)
- visiting or frequenting  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1247,1] सेवा (sevā) f. going or resorting to, visiting, frequenting, Cāṇ.; Subh. [ ID=252280 ]
- frequenting, resorting to  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 1138-a ] सेवा (sevā) [ सेव् - अ (sev-a) ] 5 Frequenting, resorting to

### Worship, Homage, Reverence (2 definitions)
- worship, homage, reverence, and devotion  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > worship, homage, reverence, devotion to ( gen. or comp. ), ib. [ ID=252282 ]
- Worship, homage, or honoring  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 1138-a ] सेवा (sevā) [ सेव् - अ (sev-a) ] 2 Worship, homage, honouring

### Flattery, Coaxing Words (1 definition)
- Flattery or coaxing words  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > सेवा (sevā) [Printed book page 1138-a ] सेवा (sevā) [ सेव् - अ (sev-a) ] 6 Flattery, coaxing or flattering words; अलं सेवया (alaṃ sevayā) मध्यस्थतां गृहीत्वा भण (madhyasthatāṃ gṛhītvā bhaṇa) Mālavikāgnimitra (Bombay) 3

### Sexual Intercourse (1 definition)
- sexual intercourse  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > sexual intercourse with ( comp. ), Hit.; Subh. [ ID=252283 ]

### Specific Aspects or Derivatives of Service (1 definition)
- in the form of servitude  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — आकार (ākāra) a. in the form of servitude; Vikramorvaśīyam (Bombay) 3. 1

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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