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Glite Dictionary
janitress

janitress

9.9
A woman who cleans and looks after a building
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒænɪtrɛs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : conserje
  • The janitress arrived early to clean the offices before the staff came in.

Examples

  • Every evening, the janitress polished the floors and emptied the trash bins.

  • I can't wait to see the face of the janitress.

    Gigi (1958)

  • As a devoted janitress, she took pride in keeping the building spotless.

Synonyms

janitor
vsjanitress
  • US
189 1.5

A person who cleans and looks after a building like a school or office

is an older female word for that same building caretaker
cleaner
vsjanitress
51 1.0

A person who cleans houses or offices as their job

is specifically an older female term for building caretaking
cleaning lady
vsjanitress
  • Informal
27 1.0

A woman who cleans houses or offices for pay

is older and emphasizes caretaking of an entire building
cleaning woman
vsjanitress
6 1.3

A woman who is paid to clean houses or offices regularly

is older and refers to full building care rather than routine cleaning
housecleaner
vsjanitress
  • US
1 1.9

A person who cleans homes for money

is older and female but applies to broader building maintenance
charwoman
vsjanitress
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A woman who cleans houses or offices for pay

is older and implies full building care rather than occasional housework
charlady
vsjanitress
  • Archaic
1 9.7

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

is similarly old fashioned but focuses on whole building care

How Old-Fashioned

janitress
  • Archaic
9.9
charwoman
  • Archaic
1 9.9
janitor
  • US
189 1.5
cleaner
51 1.0

Surface Forms

janitress singular
janitresses plural

Morphology

janitress = janitor (transparent) = janitor + ess

The word is a straightforward feminine formation from 'janitor' with the productive suffix '-ess', so the meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Janitress is the female form of janitor, a word that comes from an old word for 'door' because a janitor used to look after a building's entrance. The ending -tress means 'woman', as in actress, so a janitress is a woman who cleans and takes care of a building.