Desservir

Desservir is a French verb with several related meanings centered on providing or removing access to a place or a service, as well as a domestic use related to meals. In general, it denotes that a location is reached by a service route or that a table is cleared after eating.

In transportation and urban planning, desservir means to provide access to a place through a service along a route. A train, bus, or tram can dessert a station, a city, or a district. For example, “Le train dessert la gare centrale” or “Cette ligne dessert plusieurs villages.” The passive use is common in phrases like “Cette gare est desservie par plusieurs lignes.” The sense can also imply changes in service, with a line or route either continuing to serve certain areas or dropping service to others (“ne dessert pas ce quartier” or “la ligne ne dessert plus ce quartier”).

In a domestic or hospitality context, desservir means to clear away dishes from a table after a meal. It is used by servers and in household speech: “Le serveur va desservir la table” or “Nous devons desservir la table après le repas.”

Grammatical notes: desservir is a regular -ir verb. Conjugation typical of -ir verbs: je dessers, tu dessers, il dessert, nous desservons, vous desservez, ils desservent; passé composé: j’ai desservi. The word shares a semantic core with servir, emphasizing bringing service or access to a place, or removing items from a table in a dining context.