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• servo
  servo

  adjective

  acting as part of a servomechanism.
• servo-
  servo-

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

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.

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noun

servos plural

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.

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servo ¹ British  

/ ˈsɜːvəʊ /

adjective

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

   servo brakes

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noun

1. informal short for servomechanism

servo ² British  

/ ˈsɜːvəʊ /

noun

1. informal a service station

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• servos
  plural

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

See Examples For:

servo servos

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

In late 2018, a Japanese YouTube channel called Human Controller even developed its own self-solving Rubik’s cube using a 3D-printed core attached to programmable servo motors.

From The Verge ● Oct. 15, 2019

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

A measure of the relative intensity of the two rays would servo to measure the distance, or thickness of the absorbing medium.

From The Future of Astronomy by Pickering, Edward Charles

And so Bruton came up with an intricate system of motors and gears, to function as servos, moving parts whose position can be monitored and controlled.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026

Inside its tiny head — about the size of a grapefruit — complex mechanics with around 25 servos were meant to produce subtle facial expressions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

Filled with sensors and servos, Aibo’s adorable movements, lifelike responses, and undeniable status as a good robot dog won our hearts this year.

From The Verge ● Jan. 11, 2018

"Most items we used in there are literally servos from your kid's remote-control airplane," Kramer said.

From Reuters ● Sep. 29, 2013

He must now get to the machine shop, and enter it without triggering any more of those—he laughed quietly to himself—Security servos.

From Where I Wasn't Going by Richmond, Walt