Verb

(head)

(disserve)

Verb

(disserv)

To treat poorly; to do a disservice to

* {{quote-news, year=1988, date=August 12, author=Michael Miner, title=Cop and Writer; Manhandling the Sun-Times, work=Chicago Reader citation

, passage=They are an excellent group of journalists, and over the last five years the executives manhandling their newspaper have disserved them at every turn. }}

Verb

(head)

(deserve)

Verb

To be entitled to, as a result of past actions; to be worthy to have.

:After playing so well, the team really deserved their win .

:After what he did, he deserved to go to prison .

:This argument deserves a closer examination.

*Bible, Job xi. 6

*:God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth .

*Thackeray

*:John Gay deserved to be a favourite.

(obsolete) To earn, win.

*1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.vii:

*:That gentle Lady, whom I loue and serue, / After long suit and weary seruicis, / Did aske me, how I could her loue deserue , / And how she might be sure, that I would neuer swerue.

(obsolete) To reward, to give in return for service.

*:

*:Gramercy saide the kynge / & I lyue sir Lambegus I shal deserue hit / And thenne sir Lambegus armed hym / and rode after as fast as he myghte

(obsolete) To serve; to treat; to benefit.

*Massinger

*:A man that hath / So well deserved me.