janitor

[jan-i-ter]

noun

1. a person employed in an apartment house, office building, school, etc., to clean the public areas, remove garbage, and do minor repairs; caretaker.

2. Archaic.,  a doorkeeper or porter.

verb (used without object)

1. to be employed as a janitor.

janitor

/ ˌdʒænɪˈtɔːrɪəl, ˈdʒænɪtə /

noun

1. the caretaker of a building, esp a school

2. a person employed to clean and maintain a building, esp the public areas in a block of flats or office building; porter

Other Word Forms

• janitress noun
• janitorial adjective
• underjanitor noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of janitor¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin jānitor “doorkeeper,” equivalent to jāni- (combining form of jānus “doorway, covered passage”) + -tor -tor

Word History and Origins

Origin of janitor¹

C17: from Latin: doorkeeper, from jānua door, entrance, from jānus covered way (compare _Janus ¹ ); related to Latin īre to go

Example Sentences

“What would bring him to that point. I thought, ‘What if he was a janitor when he was younger, and someone noticed and trained him?’

From Los Angeles Times

ICE agents I’ve spoken with say they have arrested or detained office workers, janitors, dishwashers, gardeners, and day laborers and raided Home Depots.

From Salon

Some professions received carve-outs, including doctors, accountants, real estate agents and hairdressers; while others such as truckers, commercial janitors and physical therapists must abide by the tighter classification rules.

From Los Angeles Times

He got the janitor job in the mid-1970s, and a decade later he and his wife experimented in their kitchen to create the new snack.

From Los Angeles Times

“In a traditional restroom, if you have a medical issue inside, you might stay in there for hours until a janitor gets there,” Heinzelman said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• attendant 
• custodian 
• sitter 
• superintendent