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

Derived Forms

• ˈjanitress, noun:feminine
• janitorial, adjective

Other Words From

• jan·i·to·ri·al [jan-i-, tawr, -ee-, uh, l], adjective
• un·der·jan·i·tor 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

They encourage the janitor to go on stage, where he performs What the World Needs Now Is Love.

From BBC

A master of disguise, the Jackal first appears in elaborate — yet, to the viewer, obvious — prosthetics to make him look like a specific janitor in a building he’s planning to breach.

From Los Angeles Times

Pustilnikov said that the Produce’s janitor quit without providing notice two weeks ago.

From Los Angeles Times

The strike is over council pay across Scotland and involves Unison members in schools and early years such as janitors and classroom assistants.

From BBC

“It makes my skin crawl,” she told a small gathering at a strip-mall bar and grill, “when I hear a politician get up there and they say, ‘My dad was just a janitor.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• attendant
• custodian
• sitter
• superintendent