server

server

All computers on the Internet (a wide area network, or WAN) can be lumped into two groups: servers and clients. In a network, clients and servers communicate with one another.

A server is the common source that :
Provides shared services (for example, network security measures) with other machines
AND

Manages resources (for example, one printer many people use) in a network.
The term server is often used to describe the hardware (computer), but the term also refers to the software (application) running on the computer. Many servers are dedicated, meaning they only perform specific tasks.

For example,
An email server is a computer that has software running on it allowing it to "serve" email-related services.
A web server has software running on it that allows it to "serve" web-related services.