means The quality of being useful or beneficial, or, more concretely, a service like water, gas, or electricity that keeps daily life running.

from From Latin utilitas, "usefulness," built on uti, "to use" — the same root that gives us utensil and use itself. It reached English through Old French utilite. The modern sense of "utility" as a public service provider grew out of the idea of "public utilities," things deemed useful enough to the common good to be worth supplying to everyone.