server
SUR-ver
/ˈsɜːrvər/
A person who waits on tables in a restaurant or dining establishment.
Modern, gender-neutral replacement for 'waiter' or 'waitress', emphasizing professional table service.
The story behind the word. Traces back to Latin 'servire', meaning to render service. In Anglo-French culinary contexts, 'servour' referred to courtly feast attendants. Modern North American English adopted 'server' late in the 20th century as a gender-neutral alternative to waiter and waitress.
Word relationships
- waiter: 'Waiter' is traditional and gender-specific (male), whereas 'server' is modern and gender-neutral.
- attendant: 'Attendant' applies to non-dining roles like parking or cloakrooms, while 'server' is specific to food and drinks.
- patron: A patron is the customer receiving service, while a server provides it.
Commonly confused with
- diner: A diner is the customer eating the meal, whereas the server is the staff member taking orders.
Word family
- serve (verb): To perform duties or present food and drink to guests.
- service (noun): The act or manner of serving customers.
Collocations
- attentive server
- restaurant server
- server tip
- friendly server
Idioms & expressions
- at your service
Example sentences
- "Our server suggested the daily seafood special and ensured our water glasses remained full throughout the meal." Restaurant service
- "An attentive server learns to anticipate guest needs without appearing intrusive." Professional training
Memory hook
A SERVER SERVES food right to your table. The person serving your table.
When not to use
Do not use for kitchen staff like line cooks or dishwashers who do not interact directly with diners.
Fun facts
- In computer networking, a 'server' gets its name directly from the dining server metaphor: delivering requested data to client computers.
Related words
Also appears in
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