cli·ent   (klī'ənt)    n.   The party for which professional services are rendered, as by an attorney. A customer or patron: clients of the hotel. A person using the services of a social services agency. One that depends on the protection of another. A client state. Computer Science A computer or program that can download files for manipulation, run applications, or request application-based services from a file server. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin cliēns, client-, dependent, follower; see klei- in Indo-European roots.] cli'ent·age (-ən-tĭj) n., cli·en'tal (klī-ěn'tl, klī'ən-) adj.

Client

Cli"ent\, n. [L. cliens, -emtis, for cluens, one who hears (in relation to his protector), a client, fr. L. cluere to be named or called; akin to Gr. ? to hear, Skr. [,c]ry, and E. loud: cf. F. client. See Loud.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.) A citizen who put himself under the protection of a man of distinction and influence, who was called his patron.

2. A dependent; one under the protection of another.

I do think they are your friends and clients, And fearful to disturb you. --B. Jonson.

3. (Law) One who consults a legal adviser, or submits his cause to his management.

client 

client   (klī'ənt)  Pronunciation Key  A program that runs on a personal computer or workstation connected to a computer network and requests information from a file server.

client programming
A computer system or process that requests a service of another computer system or process (a "server") using some kind of protocol and accepts the server's responses. A client is part of a client-server software architecture.
For example, a workstation requesting the contents of a file from a file server is a client of the file server.
(1997-10-27)