subserve
verb
sub·serve (ˌ)səb-ˈsərv 
subserved; subserving; subserves
transitive verb
1
: to promote the welfare or purposes of
2
: to serve as an instrument or means in carrying out
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web These auditory and reward network pathways likely subserve the mind’s ability to form predictions and expectations during music listening. 
Grace Leslie, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2021 Specific networks of neurons in the brain subserve the formation of human beliefs; neurodegenerative disorders disrupt these networks, leading to distorted beliefs that often have no basis in observable reality. Serggio Lanata, Scientific American, 22 Feb. 2021
Grace Leslie, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2021 Specific networks of neurons in the brain subserve the formation of human beliefs; neurodegenerative disorders disrupt these networks, leading to distorted beliefs that often have no basis in observable reality. Serggio Lanata, Scientific American, 22 Feb. 2021 Word History
Etymology
Latin subservire to serve, be subservient, from sub- + servire to serve
First Known Use
1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1