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Original · left

Server (food service)

A food-service worker carrying trays to restaurant tables, or a tennis player putting a ball into play.

First in use: the 1500s
Duplicate · right

Server (computing)

A persistent central software daemon or dedicated computer machine responding to requests over a network from clients.

First in use: the 1960s

Server / Server (food service) / Server (computing)

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Duplicate share · 12 mo—
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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Waiters vs. machines.

Which meaning of Server is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Server (food service) came first (the 1500s). Server (computing) arrived in the 1960s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Server (food service)Server (computing)
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1500s

Server (food service)

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Duplicate · the 1960s

Server (computing)

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More duplicated terms

Cloud & infrastructure