Etymograph

English

server

Server comes from Middle English servere.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500servere1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2013server1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English server
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, Jonathan Freedland, Obama's once hip brand is now tainted: “Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500servereWiktionary, English server
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2013serverWiktionary, English server. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, Jonathan Freedland, Obama's once hip brand is now tainted: “Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying…”

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Today it means

noun A program that provides services to other programs or devices, either in the same computer or over a computer network.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “server”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English servere / server