caretaker

English

Etymology

From care +‎ taker.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛəˌteɪ.kə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

caretaker (plural caretakers)

1. Someone who takes care of a place or thing; someone looking after a place, or responsible for keeping it in good repair.

   Synonyms: groundskeeper, groundsman, warden

   • 1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 11:

     ‘Miss Brindle must be very rich to live in such a big house,’ went on Jessamy. ‘Miss Brindle rich?’ said Aunt Maggie. ‘Bless you, she hasn’t tuppence to rub together. She’s only the caretaker.’

2. (chiefly Canada, US) Someone who takes care of a person; a parent, carer or other guardian.

   Synonym: (UK) caregiver

Derived terms

• allocaretaker
• caretaker speech

 

Translations

one who takes care of a place or thing

• Arabic: مُحَافِظ m (muḥāfiẓ)
• Asturian: conserxe
• Azerbaijani: mühafiz
• Catalan: conserge m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 管理人 (zh) (guǎnlǐrén)

• Danish: vicevært (da) c, varmemester c
• Finnish: huoltomies (fi), hoitaja (fi), talonmies (fi)
• French: concierge (fr) m or f, gardien (fr) m, gardienne (fr) f
• German: Hausmeister (de) m
• Greek: επιστάτης (el) m (epistátis)

  Ancient Greek: ἐπιμελητής m (epimelētḗs), ἐπιστάτης m (epistátēs), ἐπιμελητής m (epimelētḗs)

• Hungarian: gondnok (hu), épületgondnok, házfelügyelő (hu), házmester (hu)
• Ingrian: hoitaja
• Irish: airíoch m, feighlí m
• Italian: portinaio (it) m, caposcala m
• Macedonian: на́стојник m (nástojnik)
• Navajo: yaaʼáhályání
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vaktmester (no) m

  Nynorsk: vaktmeister m

• Polish: dozorca (pl) m, dozorczyni (pl) f
• Portuguese: cuidador m
• Romanian: portar (ro) m, gardian (ro) m, paznic (ro) m
• Russian: смотри́тель (ru) m (smotrítelʹ), смотри́тельница (ru) f (smotrítelʹnica), сто́рож (ru) m (stórož)
• Spanish: conserje (es) m or f, portero (es) m
• Swedish: vaktmästare (sv) c

one who takes care of a person

• Asturian: curiador
• Catalan: cuidador m
• Chamorro: a'adahi
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 護工／护工 (zh) (hùgōng), 看護／看护 (zh) (kānhù), 照顧者／照顾者 (zhàogùzhě)

• Danish: plejer c
• Dutch: voogd (nl) m
• Finnish: huoltaja (fi), hoitaja (fi)
• French: gardien (fr) m, gardienne (fr) f
• German: Pfleger (de) m, Pflegerin (de) f
• Greek: κηδεμόνας (el) m or f (kidemónas)

  Ancient Greek: κηδεμών m (kēdemṓn)

• Hungarian: gondozó (hu), ápoló (hu), gondviselő (hu)
• Ingrian: hoitaja
• Irish: airíoch m, feighlí m, bean faire f, fear faire m, cúramóir m
• Italian: badante (it)
• Kashubian: aùsknecht m, dozérca f
• Macedonian: ста́рател m (stáratel), негува́телка f (neguvátelka)
• Portuguese: responsável (pt) m or f
• Romagnol: abadânt m
• Romanian: îngrijitor (ro) m, îngrijitoare (ro) f
• Russian: сиде́лка (ru) f (sidélka), ня́ня (ru) f (njánja), ня́нька (ru) f (njánʹka), медсестра́ (ru) f (medsestrá)
• Spanish: cuidador m
• Swedish: vårdnadshavare (sv) c

Adjective

caretaker (not comparable)

1. (chiefly UK) Temporary, on a short term basis.

   Synonym: interim

   Johnson had to be drafted in as the caretaker manager after Hewlett resigned without warning the day before the final.

   • 2023 November 15, Sam Jones, “Acting Spanish PM on verge of second term after controversial Catalan amnesty deal”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Sources within Sánchez’s caretaker administration claim the amnesty law is perfectly in keeping with the Socialist-led government’s efforts to calm tensions and find a political solution to the so-called Catalan question.

Derived terms

• caretaker government

 

Translations

temporary, on a short term basis

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 看守 (zh) (kānshǒu), 臨時／临时 (zh) (línshí)

• Finnish: väliaikainen (fi), virkaa tekevä
• French: gardien (fr)
• Hungarian: ideiglenes (hu), átmeneti (hu), megbízott (hu)
• Irish: sealadach
• Maori: kaitiaki
• Romanian: interimar (ro)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can