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janitor

janitor

189 1.5
A person who cleans and looks after a building like a school or office
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒænɪtər/
  • US
translation icon : conserje
  • The janitor cleans the hallways and ensures the bathrooms are stocked with supplies.
  • work as a janitor
  • jobs such as janitors
  • a school janitor

And everybody pointed to that janitor and said, Richard Montanez.

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Examples

  • After school, the janitor mopped the floors and checked the classrooms for any issues.

  • Guys, is that our new janitor?

  • So my title at the school is a janitor, right?

  • And so I tried being a janitor and a night janitor, and that was hell.

  • "I told him to leave it alone and the janitor would clean it out.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Were you aware there was a janitor in the institute that night?

    Fiction book (1992)
  • And, well, the janitor ought to be in this wing, clearly.

  • Respect the janitor the same way you respect the CEO.

  • Are you the new janitor?

  • Lucinda wrote that she was working as a school janitor and doing art in her spare hours.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

cleaner
vsjanitor
51 1.0

A person who cleans houses or offices as their job

also includes ongoing care and maintenance of a building beyond cleaning
custodian
vsjanitor
40 3.8

A person who takes care of and protects things like buildings, animals, or records

focuses more narrowly on cleaning and routine building upkeep rather than broad protection
cleaning lady
vsjanitor
  • Informal
27 1.0

A woman who cleans houses or offices for pay

is neutral about gender and adds responsibility for general building care
cleaning woman
vsjanitor
6 1.3

A woman who is paid to clean houses or offices regularly

is gender neutral and includes routine cleaning plus building care tasks
housecleaner
vsjanitor
  • US
1 1.9

A person who cleans homes for money

works more with public or commercial buildings and includes general upkeep duties
charlady
vsjanitor
  • Archaic
1 9.7

A woman who cleans houses or offices, often in the past

is the current, general term used for modern building cleaning and care
janitress
vsjanitor
  • Archaic
9.9

A woman who cleans and looks after a building

is the modern, neutral term for the same cleaning and caretaking role

How Responsible

custodian
40 3.8
caretaker
60 1.9
janitor
  • US
189 1.5
cleaner
51 1.0

Surface Forms

janitor singular
janitors plural

Morphology

janitor = janit + or

Although the suffix '-or' is a recognizable agentive ending, the root 'janit' is not a standalone English word and the meaning ('person who cleans/looks after a building') cannot be reliably derived by learners from familiar English morphemes.

Etymology

Janitor comes from the Latin word ianitor, which means 'doorkeeper', from ianua meaning 'door'. So today a janitor is the person who cleans and looks after a building, like someone who once watched the door and cared for the place.