janitor

UK: /ˈdʒænɪtə^r/ US: /ˈdʒænɪtɚ/ ,( jan′i tər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

jan•i•tor /ˈdʒænɪtɚ/   n. [countable]

1. a person who is employed in an apartment house, office building, school, etc., to keep the public areas clean and do minor repairs; caretaker.

jan•i•to•ri•al /ˌdʒænɪˈtɔriəl/  adj.: 

janitorial duties.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

jan•i•tor  ( jan′i tər), n. 

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.

v.i. 

3. to be employed as a janitor.

• Latin jānitor doorkeeper, equivalent. to jāni- (combining form of jānus doorway, covered passage) + -tor -tor
• 1575–85

jan•i•to•ri•al  ( jan′i tôr′ē əl, -tōr′-), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

janitor / 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

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin: doorkeeper, from jānua door, entrance, from jānus covered way (compare Janus¹); related to Latin īre to go

janitorial / ˌdʒænɪˈtɔːrɪəl/ adjective