service elevator
11
3.4
- noun
- /ˈsɜrvɪs ˈɛlɪˌveɪtər/
- Specialized
:
montacargas
- Three carts were rolled up from a service elevator.
- take the service elevator
- use the service elevator
- get in the service elevator
Examples
-
There's a service elevator at the end of the hall.
-
There's a service elevator near here.
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Take the service elevator one level down.
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Walk to the service elevator.
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Bring him down in the service elevator.
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We'll take the service elevator.
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We'll use the service elevator in the back.
Fiction book (1993) -
There's a service elevator right there.
Fiction book (1992) -
That's the service elevator.
-
The restaurant staff uses the service elevator to transport food from the kitchen to the dining area.
Synonyms
760
1.0
A machine that carries people and things up and down between floors
123
1.9
A machine that carries people or goods between floors
8
3.4
A large lift that moves goods like boxes or pallets between floors
How Heavy Duty
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an elevator for transporting freight or goods' is directly derivable from combining 'service' (indicating utility or use for service/maintenance) with 'elevator' (a lifting compartment). This noun–noun compound follows a productive, transparent composition pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the intended sense.
Etymology
Service elevator comes from buildings where the service staff used a separate elevator to move food, luggage, and boxes away from guests. Picture cooks and porters sending goods on a small lift to the kitchens or storage, so today it means a lift 'for goods and staff', not for passengers.