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Glite Dictionary
🥅 A goalscorer 🔐 A jail guard
goaler

goaler

9.9
An old word for a person who guards prisoners in a jail or prison
  • noun
  • /ˈɡoʊlər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : carcelero
  • The goaler made sure no one escaped from the prison.

Examples

  • The goaler watched over the inmates carefully.

  • The goaler was respected for his strict discipline and fairness.

  • In the old match reports, the term goaler was used instead of goalkeeper.

  • Many goalers worked at the old prison.

  • The goaler ensured that the inmate's rights were respected within the prison.

  • As the goaler, he took his job seriously, monitoring the prisoners and maintaining order.

  • Every goaler at the historical jail was trained to handle difficult situations with care.

Synonyms

warden
vsgoaler
  • US
248 4.3

A person who manages a prison and looks after staff and prisoners

is an old-fashioned word used for someone who is in charge
prison guard
vsgoaler
26 2.5

A person who watches prisoners in a jail or prison

is an old-fashioned term rather than the modern job description used today
jailer
vsgoaler
19 3.0

A person who guards prisoners in a jail or prison

is an old-fashioned term for that guarding job rather than the name now used
goalkeeper
vsgoaler
18 2.5

A player in sports like soccer who stops the other team from scoring by guarding the goal

is an old-fashioned spelling that rarely refers to this sports position
warder
vsgoaler
  • UK
4 7.4

A person who guards prisoners in a prison

is an old-fashioned name for that type of prison officer
turnkey
vsgoaler
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A person who locks and guards prisoners in a jail

is an old-fashioned term for that role rather than a modern title
jailor
vsgoaler
  • Archaic
2 4.2

A person who guards prisoners in a jail

is an old-fashioned label for that officer rather than current usage
jailkeeper
vsgoaler
  • Archaic
1 4.4

A person who guards and manages people in a jail or prison

is an old-fashioned name covering both guarding and managing duties
netkeeper
vsgoaler
6.0

A player who guards the goal and tries to stop the other team from scoring

is an old-fashioned term that only rarely matches this sports role

Surface Forms

goaler singular
goalers plural

Morphology

goaler = goal (opaque) = goal + er

The form is historically goal + -er, but the relevant base is the archaic noun 'goal' meaning jail, not the modern sports noun, so most learners will not recover the meaning.

Etymology

Goaler also appears as an old form of gaoler, from gaol meaning 'jail' plus -er, so it once meant a person who guarded a prison and is like the modern word jailer, though this sense is now rare.