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