server

noun

1. a person who serves.
2. a person who waits on tables; a waiter or waitress.
3. something that serves or is used in serving, as a salver.
4. a broad fork, spoon, or spatula for dishing out and serving individual portions of food, as vegetables, cake, or pie.
5. Ecclesiastical. an attendant on the priest at Mass, who arranges the altar, makes the responses, etc.
6. (in tennis, badminton, handball, etc.) the player who puts the ball or shuttlecock in play.
7. a computer that makes services, as access to data files, programs, and peripheral devices, available to workstations on a network.Compare client(def 5), file server.

noun

1. a person who serves
2. mainly RC Church a person who acts as acolyte or assists the priest at Mass
3. something that is used in serving food and drink
4. the player who serves in racket games
5. computing a computer or program that supplies data or resources to other machines on a network

n.late 14c., agent noun from serve (v.). Computer sense by 1992.

1. A computer that manages centralized data storage or network communications resources. A server provides and organizes access to these resources for other computers linked to it.

Computer or software that performs administration or coordination functions within a network.