janitor
UK /ˈd͡ʒænɪtə/ · US /ˈd͡ʒænɪtɚ/ noun
Forms janitors janitress janitrix
- noun (chiefly US, Philippines) Someone who looks after the maintenance and cleaning of a public building.
- noun (Scotland, Hong Kong) A caretaker or custodian; someone who maintains a school building specifically and may serve other administrative roles (the term caretaker is also used in Hong Kong, particularly in ESF and independent British schools).
- noun A doorman.
- noun (Internet slang, 4chan, sometimes derogatory) A moderator for a discussion forum.
Synonyms
curator moderator mod jannie janny caretaker cleaner custodian maintenance person porter groundskeeper
Etymology
From Latin ianitor (“doorkeeper”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A door-keeper; a porter; one who has the care of a public building, or a building occupied for offices, suites of rooms, etc.
Etymology [L., fr. janua a door.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “janitor”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details