jailer

English

Alternative forms

• jailor, gaoler, gaolor (all obsolete)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English gayoler, gayler, jayler, from Old French jaiolier, gaiolier, from jaiole.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒeɪlə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪlə(ɹ)

Noun

jailer (plural jailers)

1. One who enforces confinement in a jail or prison.
   • 1775, Samuel Palmer, The Nonconformist's Memorial‎^[1]:

     Sometimes some of the ejected ministers preached to them privately, and now and then the jailer allowed Mr. H. to go out in the night to preach to them, and administer the Lord's Supper.

   • 1883, Silvio Pellico, chapter 32, in My Ten Years' Imprisonment‎^[2]:

     But the next morning came, and my coffee was brought by her mother; the next, and the next, by the under jailers; and Angiola continued grievously ill.

   • 2001, Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, St. Paul: The Traveler and Roman Citizen‎^[3], page 176:

     The jailer was also roused by the earthquake and came to the outer door; he was perhaps a soldier, or at least had something of Roman discipline, giving him presence of mind.

Synonyms

• corrections officer
• guard
• screw (pejorative)
• turnkey
• warden
• warder

Related terms

• jaileress
• jailering
• jailership

Translations

one who guards inmates

• Catalan: escarceller (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 獄卒／狱卒 (zh) (yùzú), (archaic) 獄吏／狱吏 (zh) (yùlì), 獄警／狱警 (zh) (yùjǐng)

• Czech: věznitel (cs) m, žalářník (cs) m
• Finnish: vanginvartija (fi)
• French: geôlier (fr) m, geôlière (fr) f, gâfe (fr) m
• Georgian: ციხის ზედამხედველი (cixis zedamxedveli)
• German: Gefängniswärter (de) m, Gefängniswärterin (de) f, Gefängnisaufseher (de) m, Gefängnisaufseherin (de) f, Schließer (de) m, Schließerin (de) f (colloquial), Justizvollzugsbeamter m, Justizvollzugsbeamte f, Justizvollzugsbeamtin f (bureaucratese), Gefangenenwärter m, Gefangenenwärterin f, Wachtel (de) f (slang), Kerkermeister (de) m, Kerkermeisterin f
• Greek: δεσμοφύλακας (el) m (desmofýlakas)

  Ancient: δεσμοφύλαξ m (desmophúlax)

• Indonesian: sipir penjara, sipir (id)
• Irish: séiléir m
• Italian: carceriere (it) m, carceriera f, custode (it) m or f, guardiano (it) m, guardiana f, secondino (it) m, secondina (it) f, sorvegliante (it) m or f, guardia carceraria f, aguzzino (it) m, aguzzina f
• Japanese: 看守 (ja) (かんしゅ, kanshu), 獄吏 (ja) (ごくり, gokuri)
• Korean: 교도관 (ko) (gyodogwan), 간수 (ko) (gansu)
• Latin: carcerārius m, custōs m
• Macedonian: темничар m (temničar)
• Maori: kaitiaki herehere
• Mi'kmaq: lapseloon noojodum
• Middle English: gayoler
• Polish: strażnik więzienny m, strażniczka więzienna f
• Portuguese: carcereiro (pt) m, carcereira f
• Romanian: gardian (ro) m, temnicer (ro) m
• Russian: тюре́мщик (ru) m (tjurémščik), тюре́мщица (ru) f (tjurémščica), тюре́мный надзира́тель m (tjurémnyj nadzirátelʹ), тюре́мная надзира́тельница f (tjurémnaja nadzirátelʹnica)
• Serbo-Croatian: тамничар m (tamničar)
• Spanish: carcelero (es) m, carcelera (es) f, guardiacárcel m, guardacárcel m
• Swedish: fångvaktare (sv) c, kriminalvårdare c
• Turkish: gardiyan (tr)
• Welsh: gwarcheidwad (cy) m

Anagrams

• rejail

Middle English

Noun

jailer

1. Alternative form of gayoler