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View synonyms for janitor

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


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Derived Forms

  • ˈjanitress, noun:feminine
  • janitorial, adjective

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Other Words From

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

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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

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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

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Compare Meanings

How does janitor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Relisha Rudd, then 8, was last seen with Kahlil Malik Tatum, a janitor at the shelter.

There were numerous instances, not just in high school but also in college, where he would throw his trash or leave his trash out and encourage others to do the same, saying, “This is what we have the janitors here to do.”

From Vox

At Miller’s high school, there were a handful of janitors for this very large student population, and they were mostly people of color.

From Vox

That led the late downtown Alderman Burton Natarus to describe himself as a ward janitor, while former council progressive Joe Moore called the body a Midwestern version of the Soviet politburo.

MTS officers once violently arrested an Iraqi immigrant for trespassing at a trolley station, even though he was a janitor reporting for work.

Everybody from Bill Gates to his janitor wants the economy to grow.

He admits to us that most of the time he is more of a janitor than a brewmaster.

The Nightman Cometh An illiterate janitor writes a musical to woo a woman who has a restraining order against him.

As a janitor working in a cleaning service, he claimed to have insider information.

AOC officials declined to discuss janitor compensation, but SAA officials were willing to share details.

The janitor should wash the clothes-racks with the acid bichloride solution every time he sweeps.

As Genevieve hoped would be the case, the janitor had not finished his nightly duties.

Say, the janitor service in this old ark is something I couldn't describe to a gentleman.

He says th' more he practises medicine th' more he becomes a janitor with a knowledge iv cookin'.

"In most places like this, the office boy or the janitor does such work," said Harry.

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Janissary musicjanitorial