deserve
Definitions
To be worthy of or have earned (something), whether reward or punishment
应得；值得（无论奖惩）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedde- ('thoroughly') + serve (servīre) = 'to serve thoroughly.' In medieval Latin, serving fully meant you had earned your reward, so the word slid from 'serve completely' to 'be worthy of.' Today nothing of servants remains: you can deserve praise, a rest, or a punishment.
Root serv still carries 62 more wordsWhy It Means This
deserve is a fossilized metaphor: the original 'thorough service earns a reward' has worn away, leaving only the result — worthiness. That is why it works for both good and bad: a hero deserves a medal, a cheat deserves to be caught. The earning, not the serving, is what survived.
Common Collocations
- 1.deserve a break该歇歇了
- 2.deserve better值得更好的
- 3.richly deserve完全应得
- 4.deserve credit理应得到认可
Example Sentences
- 1.
After all that hard work, you deserve a holiday.
- 2.
Nobody deserves to be treated like that.
- 3.
The team played brilliantly and deserved to win.