servant's entrance
1
6.7
- noun
- Archaic
:
entrada de servicio
- The servant's entrance is located at the back of the building, away from the main door.
Examples
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I mean, isn't this the servant's entrance?
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Have him use the servant's entrance.
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I had to come in the servants' entrance!
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I will use the servants' entrance.
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And use the servants' entrance, will you?
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I use the servant's entrance.
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Go to the servants' entrance.
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"Am I to go to the servants' entrance?" she asked warily.
Fiction book (1991) -
"The servants' entrance?" exclaimed a female voice from the doorway.
Fiction book (1991) -
Theo's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he followed the short man toward the servants' entrance to the embassy.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
163
1.0
A door at the back of a building used as an extra entrance
10
3.4
An entrance at the back of a building used by staff, for deliveries, or to take out rubbish
5
1.8
An outside door at the side of a building used instead of the main door
4
1.0
A door at the back of a building that people use as a second entrance
1
3.5
A door at the back used by workers for deliveries and trash
Surface Forms
Morphology
servant's + entrance
The meaning is directly and transparently built from 'servant's' (possessive of servant) + 'entrance' (a way in), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes an entrance used by servants or for deliveries. This is a literal possessive noun+noun composition (not idiomatic or metaphorical) and follows a common cross-linguistic pattern, making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.
Etymology
Servant's entrance: The term servant's entrance comes from large old houses where the servant used a separate back or side entrance to bring supplies and avoid meeting the family. So, it now means 'a separate door or way for staff or deliveries'.