Standard Lemma guide

janitor

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒænɪtə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈd͡ʒænɪtɚ/
  • General-American: [ˈd͡ʒænɪɾɚ]
  • CMU ARPABET: JH AE1 N AH0 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who looks after the maintenance and cleaning of a public building.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Philippines, US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone who looks after the maintenance and cleaning of a public building.

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).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Hong-Kong, Philippines, Scotland, US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A doorman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A moderator for a discussion forum.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, derogatory, sometimes

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jannie, janny

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

someone employed to clean and maintain a building

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: custodian, keeper, steward

History

Etymology

From Latin ianitor (“doorkeeper”).

Across languages

Translations

139 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ahtna: nakusuuʼen — caretaker
  • Armenian: հավաքարար (havakʻarar) — caretaker
  • Belarusian: дво́рнiк (dvórnik) — caretaker
  • Bulgarian: разси́лен (razsílen) — caretaker
  • Catalan: bidell — caretaker
  • Chinese Mandarin: 管理人 (guǎnlǐrén) — caretaker
  • Chinese Mandarin: 清潔工 /清洁工 (qīngjiégōng) — caretaker
  • Chinese Mandarin: 保潔員 /保洁员 (bǎojiéyuán) — caretaker
  • Chinese Mandarin: 保潔 /保洁 (bǎojié) — caretaker
  • Czech: domovník — caretaker
  • Czech: domácí — caretaker
  • Czech: domovnice — caretaker
  • Danish: varmemester — caretaker
  • Danish: vicevært — caretaker
  • Danish: pedel — caretaker
  • Dutch: conciërge — caretaker
  • Finnish: huoltomies — caretaker
  • Finnish: talonmies — caretaker
  • Finnish: siivooja — caretaker
  • Finnish: talkkari — caretaker
  • French: concierge — caretaker
  • Georgian: მეეზოვე (meezove) — caretaker
  • German: Hausmeister — caretaker
  • German: Hausmeisterin — caretaker
  • German: Hauswartin — caretaker
  • German: Hauswart — caretaker
  • Hungarian: házfelügyelő — caretaker
  • Hungarian: gondnok — caretaker
  • Indonesian: marbut — caretaker
  • Indonesian: pesuruh — caretaker
  • Italian: bidello — caretaker
  • Japanese: 管理人 (kanri-nin) — caretaker
  • Japanese: 用務員 (yōmu-in) — caretaker
  • Japanese: 校務員 (kōmu-in) — caretaker
  • Korean: 관리인 (gwalliin) — caretaker
  • Macedonian: до́мар (dómar) — caretaker
  • Macedonian: слу́жител (slúžitel) — caretaker
  • Macedonian: при́служник (príslužnik) — caretaker
  • Maltese: purtinar — caretaker
  • Polish: woźny — caretaker
  • Polish: woźna — caretaker
  • Portuguese: zelador — caretaker
  • Quechua: pichaq — caretaker
  • Romanian: om de serviciu — caretaker
  • Romanian: păzitor — caretaker
  • Romanian: gardian — caretaker
  • Russian: дво́рник (dvórnik) — caretaker
  • Serbo-Croatian: до̀ма̄р — caretaker
  • Serbo-Croatian: dòmār — caretaker
  • Slovak: správca — caretaker
  • Slovak: správkyňa — caretaker
  • Slovak: domovník — caretaker
  • Slovak: domovníčka — caretaker
  • Slovak: domáci — caretaker
  • Slovak: domáca — caretaker
  • Spanish: conserje — caretaker
  • Spanish: bedel — caretaker
  • Spanish: janitor (Americanism) — caretaker
  • Spanish: jánitor (Americanism) — caretaker
  • Spanish: yánitor — caretaker
  • Spanish: aseador — caretaker
  • Swedish: vaktmästare — caretaker
  • Swedish: städare — caretaker
  • Swedish: lokalvårdare — caretaker
  • Swedish: vicevärd — caretaker
  • Tagalog: tagalinis — caretaker
  • Tagalog: dyanitor — caretaker
  • Turkish: hademe — caretaker
  • Turkish: hizmetli — caretaker
  • Ukrainian: двірни́к (dvirnýk) — caretaker
  • Arabic: بَوَّاب (bawwāb) — doorman
  • Armenian: դռնապան (dṙnapan) — doorman
  • Belarusian: адзве́рнік (adzvjérnik) — doorman
  • Belarusian: прыдзве́рнік (prydzvjérnik) — doorman
  • Belarusian: парцье́ (parcʹjé) — doorman
  • Belarusian: швейца́р (švjejcár) — doorman
  • Belarusian: кансье́рж (kansʹjérž) — doorman
  • Belarusian: вахцёр (vaxcjór) — doorman
  • Belarusian: вахцёрка (vaxcjórka) — doorman
  • Bulgarian: портие́р (portiér) — doorman
  • Bulgarian: портие́рка (portiérka) — doorman
  • Chinese Mandarin: 看門人 /看门人 (kānménrén) — doorman
  • Chinese Mandarin: 門房 /门房 (ménfáng) — doorman
  • Czech: vrátný — doorman
  • Czech: vrátná — doorman
  • Czech: dveřník — doorman
  • Czech: portýr — doorman
  • Danish: portner — doorman
  • Dutch: portier — doorman
  • Finnish: vahtimestari — doorman
  • Finnish: ovimies — doorman
  • Finnish: ovenvartija — doorman
  • Finnish: portieeri — doorman
  • Finnish: portsari — doorman
  • French: portier — doorman
  • French: portière — doorman
  • Georgian: შვეიცარი (šveicari) — doorman
  • Georgian: კარისკაცი (ḳarisḳaci) — doorman
  • Georgian: მეკარე (meḳare) — doorman
  • German: Pförtner — doorman
  • German: Pförtnerin — doorman
  • Hungarian: portás — doorman
  • Hungarian: kapus — doorman
  • Irish: doirseoir — doorman
  • Japanese: 玄関番 (genkanban) — doorman
  • Japanese: ドアマン (doaman) — doorman
  • Korean: 문지기 (munjigi) — doorman
  • Korean: 도어맨 (do'eomaen) — doorman
  • Macedonian: по́ртир (pórtir) — doorman
  • Macedonian: вра́тар (vrátar) — doorman
  • Persian: دربان (darbân) — doorman
  • Polish: portier — doorman
  • Polish: portierka — doorman
  • Polish: odźwierny — doorman
  • Portuguese: porteiro — doorman
  • Romanian: portar — doorman
  • Russian: швейца́р (švejcár) — doorman
  • Russian: портье́ (portʹjé) — doorman
  • Russian: консье́рж (konsʹjérž) — doorman
  • Russian: вахтёр (vaxtjór) — doorman
  • Russian: вахтёрша (vaxtjórša) — doorman
  • Russian: привра́тник (privrátnik) — doorman
  • Serbo-Croatian: вра̀та̄р — doorman
  • Serbo-Croatian: по̀ртӣр — doorman
  • Serbo-Croatian: vràtār — doorman
  • Serbo-Croatian: pòrtīr — doorman
  • Slovak: vrátnik — doorman
  • Slovak: vrátnička — doorman
  • Slovene: vratar — doorman
  • Spanish: portero — doorman
  • Spanish: portera — doorman
  • Swedish: vaktmästare — doorman
  • Swedish: dörrvakt — doorman
  • Swedish: entrévärd — doorman
  • Ukrainian: швейца́р (švejcár) — doorman
  • Ukrainian: консьє́рж (konsʹjérž) — doorman
  • Ukrainian: вахте́р (vaxtér) — doorman
  • Ukrainian: вахте́рка (vaxtérka) — doorman
  • Ukrainian: портьє́ (portʹjé) — doorman
Real reading context

janitor in complete knowledge articles