Meanings
plural jailers · alternative Commonwealth dated gaoler · alternative archaic gaolor · alternative jailor
- One who enforces confinement in a jail or prison.
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.
1883, Silvio Pellico, chapter 32, in My Ten Years' Imprisonment2 more examples
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.
1775, Samuel Palmer, The Nonconformist's MemorialThe 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.
2001, Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, St. Paul: The Traveler and Roman Citizen, page 176Synonyms: corrections officer, guard, screw, turnkey, warden, warder
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who enforces confinement in a jail or prison.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who guards prisoners
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchjaiolier
- Middle Englishgayoler
- Englishjailer
Inherited from Middle English gayoler, gayler, jayler, from Old French jaiolier, gaiolier, from jaiole. By surface analysis, jail + -er.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek δεσμοφύλαξ
- δεσμοφύλαξ (desmophúlax)one who guards inmates
Bulgarian тъмнича́р, тъмнича́рка
- тъмнича́р (tămničár)one who guards inmates
- тъмнича́рка (tămničárka)one who guards inmates
- надзира́тел (nadzirátel)one who guards inmates
- надзира́телка (nadzirátelka)one who guards inmates
Catalan escarceller
- escarcellerone who guards inmates
Chinese Mandarin 獄卒 /狱卒, 獄吏 /狱吏
- 獄卒 /狱卒 (yùzú)one who guards inmates
- 獄吏 /狱吏 (yùlì)one who guards inmates
- 獄警 /狱警 (yùjǐng)one who guards inmates
Czech věznitel, žalářník
- věznitelone who guards inmates
- žalářníkone who guards inmates
Dutch cipier, gevangenbewaarder
- cipierone who guards inmates
- gevangenbewaarderone who guards inmates
Finnish vanginvartija
- vanginvartijaone who guards inmates
French geôlier, geôlière
- geôlierone who guards inmates
- geôlièreone who guards inmates
- gâfeone who guards inmates
German Gefängniswärter, Gefängniswärterin
- Gefängniswärterone who guards inmates
- Gefängniswärterinone who guards inmates
- Gefängnisaufseherone who guards inmates
- Gefängnisaufseherinone who guards inmates
- Schließerone who guards inmates
- Schließerinone who guards inmates
- Justizvollzugsbeamterone who guards inmates
- Justizvollzugsbeamteone who guards inmates
- Justizvollzugsbeamtinone who guards inmates
- Gefangenenwärterone who guards inmates
- Gefangenenwärterinone who guards inmates
- Wachtelone who guards inmates
Greek δεσμοφύλακας
- δεσμοφύλακας (desmofýlakas)one who guards inmates
Indonesian sipir penjara, sipir
- sipir penjaraone who guards inmates
- sipirone who guards inmates
Irish séiléir
- séiléirone who guards inmates
Italian carceriere, carceriera
- carceriereone who guards inmates
- carcerieraone who guards inmates
- custodeone who guards inmates
- guardianoone who guards inmates
- guardianaone who guards inmates
- secondinoone who guards inmates
- secondinaone who guards inmates
- sorveglianteone who guards inmates
- guardia carcerariaone who guards inmates
- aguzzinoone who guards inmates
- aguzzinaone who guards inmates
Japanese 看守, 獄吏
- 看守 (kanshu)one who guards inmates
- 獄吏 (gokuri)one who guards inmates
Korean 교도관, 간수
- 교도관 (gyodogwan)one who guards inmates
- 간수 (gansu)one who guards inmates
Latin carcerārius, custōs
- carcerāriusone who guards inmates
- custōsone who guards inmates
Māori kaitiaki herehere
- kaitiaki herehereone who guards inmates
Polish strażnik więzienny, strażniczka więzienna
- strażnik więziennyone who guards inmates
- strażniczka więziennaone who guards inmates
Portuguese carcereiro, carcereira
- carcereiroone who guards inmates
- carcereiraone who guards inmates
Romanian gardian, temnicer
- gardianone who guards inmates
- temnicerone who guards inmates
Russian тюре́мщик, тюре́мщица
- тюре́мщик (tjurémščik)one who guards inmates
- тюре́мщица (tjurémščica)one who guards inmates
- тюре́мный надзира́тель (tjurémnyj nadzirátelʹ)one who guards inmates
- тюре́мная надзира́тельница (tjurémnaja nadzirátelʹnica)one who guards inmates
Slovak žalárnik
- žalárnikone who guards inmates
Spanish carcelero, carcelera
- carceleroone who guards inmates
- carceleraone who guards inmates
- guardiacárcelone who guards inmates
- guardacárcelone who guards inmates
Swedish fångvaktare, kriminalvårdare
- fångvaktareone who guards inmates
- kriminalvårdareone who guards inmates
Turkish gardiyan, zindancı
- gardiyanone who guards inmates
- zindancıone who guards inmates
Welsh gwarcheidwad
- gwarcheidwadone who guards inmates
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with jailer
Anagrams
Cite this entry
jailer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jailer
“jailer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jailer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jailer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jailer.
Source: jailer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.