Meaning

noun (sports) a stroke that puts the ball in play

verb serve a purpose, role, or function

verb do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function

originFrom Middle English serven, from Old French servir, from Latin serviō (“be a slave; serve”), from Latin servus (“slave; servant”), which perhaps derives from Etruscan (compare Etruscan proper names 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌉 (servi), 𐌔𐌄𐌓𐌅𐌄 (serve)), or from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“watch over, protect”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0