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The concept of “service” covers a complex mosaic of themes, practices, and stakes which are often difficult to decipher. This article attempts to explain the construction of this tangle of meanings, and aims to define the different ways the term is used. The authors describe the term’s history, looking at the emergence of “public service” in the early years of the French Republic, as well as the recent development of a market of services in a society with an ever-growing tertiary sector. Within this constantly shifting context, the service relationship has become a central concept for analyzing activities and practices of care, and the support of those working in the medical and social fields. The authors’ discussion of meaning of the term also allows them to raise questions about the future, particularly in view of the new action plan for social work and social development, which responds to the demand: “Please, don’t call us ‘users’ anymore!”