Timeserver

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈtʌɪmËŒsəːvÉ™/

Alternative forms

• time-server

Origin

From time + server.

Full definition of timeserver

Noun

1. (obsolete) Someone who honours their commitments only when it is personally easy to do so. 16th c.
2. A person who conforms to current opinions, especially for reasons of personal advantage; an opportunist. from 16th c.
• 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society 2012, p. 355:Another of Lilly's confidants was the time-server, John Gauden, who was distinctly anti-Laudian in outlook, but who nevertheless became Bishop of Worcester at the Restoration.
3. Someone who performs a job for the required time only, making a minimum of effort. from 19th c.
4. (computing) A device, node or program that distributes the correct time to clients in a network.