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servo

1 American  
[sur-voh] / ˈsɜr voʊ /

adjective

  1. acting as part of a servomechanism.

    servo amplifier.

  2. pertaining to or having to do with servomechanisms.

    servo engineer.

  3. noting the action of certain mechanisms, as brakes, that are set in operation by other mechanisms but which themselves augment the force of that action by the way in which they operate.

noun

plural

servos

  1. Informal. servomechanism.

verb (used with object)

servoed, servoing

  1. to connect (a mechanism) to another as a servomechanism.

servo- 2 American  

  1. a combining form used in the names of devices or operations that employ a servomechanism.

    servocontrol.
servo 1 British  
/ ˈsɜːvəʊ /

adjective

  1. (prenominal) of, relating to, forming part of, or activated by a servomechanism

    servo brakes
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. informal short for servomechanism

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
servo 2 British  
/ ˈsɜːvəʊ /

noun

  1. informal a service station

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of servo1

1945–50; independent use of servo-, taken as an adj., or shortening of words formed with it

Origin of servo-2

Extracted from servomotor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The fluttering servo tab has been linked to multiple DHC-3 crashes.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2022

What goes up must come down — and hard, when dealing with a 95-pound hunk of 3D printed plastics, aluminum, sensors, microprocessors and servo motors catapulted dozens of feet above ground.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2021

A combination of extreme maneuvering, high speed, weight and altitude also can lead to a phenomenon known as servo transparency, he said.

From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2018

Since the advent of hydraulic or electro servo control systems this has become more and more entrenched.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2018

Minorum generali ministro et servo et c�teris ministris et diffinitoribus capituli generalis apud Sacrum locum de Assisio die 2 Augusti A.D.

From Notes and Queries, Number 78, April 26, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by Bell, George

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.