Server
Etymology
From "serve," Latin "servire," to serve — the machine that serves up pages, files, or services on request. The term encodes a whole model of computing, "client-server," in which your device (the client) asks and a remote computer (the server) answers. Despite cloud abstractions, a server is ultimately a physical machine humming in a data center somewhere.
noun · /SUR-vur/
A computer that provides data or services to other computers over a network.
What it names
The always-on machine on the other end of nearly everything you do online — the counterpart to the device in your hand.
Example
When the game’s servers went down, millions of players were locked out at once.
Related idea
A server is defined by its role, not its hardware: the client is whatever asks — your phone or laptop — and the server is whatever answers, so the same computer can play either part depending on the exchange.
noun · /SUR-vur/
A person who takes orders and brings food and drink in a restaurant; a waiter or waitress.
What it names
the staff who wait tables.
Example
Our server recommended the special.
Related idea
Both senses simply “serve” requests — one to diners, one to computers.