Where does “altar server” come from?

altar server (English) comes from English server, from English serve, from French servir, from German servieren, from Italian servire, from Spanish servir, from Latin serviō, from Latin servus — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

altar server (English): A layperson, often a child or adolescent, who assists a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy, attending to supporting tasks at the altar

Definitions

A layperson, often a child or adolescent, who assists a member of the clergy during a Christian liturgy, attending to supporting tasks at the altar

Ancestry of “altar server”, step by step

altar server traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English server

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	server	A program that provides services to other...
2	English	serve	An act of putting the ball or shuttlecock in play...
3	French	servir	to serve; to be used for; to be useful for...
4	German	servieren	to serve (food); to wait (at table)
5	Italian	servire	to serve; to need; to plate
6	Spanish	servir	to serve; to be of use, to be good for; to help...
7	Latin	serviō	to be a slave to; to serve
8	Latin	servus	a servant; a serf; a slave
9	Proto-Italic	serwos	guardian
10	Proto-Indo-European	ser-wo-s	guardian
11	Proto-Indo-European	ser-	to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

via English altar

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	altar	A table or similar flat-topped structure used for...
2	Old English	altar	altar
3	Latin	altāre	altar, fitting for burnt offerings
4	Latin	adoleō	to emit an odor, smell
5	Latin	ad-	to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
6	Latin	īn-	un-, non-, not
7	Latin	în	in, at, on, upon, from (space)
8	Latin	en	lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
9	Proto-Italic	en	in
10	Proto-Indo-European	h₁én	in

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser-wo-s →Every word from Proto-Italic serwos →