UTILITY

I. noun (plural -ties) Etymology: Middle English utilite, from Anglo-French utilité, from Latin utilitat, utilitas, from utilis useful, from uti to use Date: 14th century fitness for some purpose or worth to some end, something useful or designed for use, 3. public ~ , b. a service (as light, power, or water) provided by a public ~, equipment or a piece of equipment to provide such service or a comparable service, a program or routine designed to perform or facilitate especially routine operations (as copying files or editing text) on a computer, II. adjective Date: 1851 capable of serving as a substitute in various roles or positions , 2. kept to provide a useful product or service rather than for show or as a pet , being of a usable but inferior grade , serving primarily for ~ rather than beauty ; utilitarian , designed or adapted for general use , of or relating to a ~