Deserved

How to spell deserved

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce deserved

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does deserved mean?

1. verbEarned or was worthy of something, whether a reward or a punishment, through one's actions or qualities.
2. adjectiveEarned or warranted by someone's actions or merit; richly merited.

Deserved in a sentence

• verb

  After months of overtime, she deserved the promotion she finally received.

• adjective

  The long holiday felt like a well deserved break after a brutal year.

• verb

  The team deserved the win after dominating the whole match.

• adjective

  Her promotion was the deserved result of years of steady work.

Where does deserved come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Latin verb deservire, which meant 'to serve well' or 'to serve zealously', formed from the intensifying prefix de- (here meaning 'thoroughly') and servire, 'to serve'. In late Latin the idea of serving devotedly slid naturally into the notion of earning something by that service, so a person who served faithfully came to be seen as worthy of reward. English took the word in during the 1200s through Old French deservir, and at first it kept the literal sense of meriting a payment or recompense for service rendered. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to earn through service' to the modern 'to be worthy of', whether the thing earned is good or bad. The same servire root still lies behind everyday words such as 'serve', 'servant' and 'service', which is a useful reminder that the middle of deserved is built on serve, not 'sirve' or 'zerve'.

How the word is built

• de- (thoroughly)
• serv (from Latin servire: to serve)
• -ed (past tense / adjective suffix)