Innkeeper

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɪnkiːpəɹ/

Definitions

1. An individual who operates a business that offers temporary accommodation and meals for visitors
2. A person managing a facility that provides hospitality services including lodging and dining for guests
3. Someone who owns or manages a place offering overnight stays and food to guests

Etymology: "Innkeeper" is a plain compound, built from "inn" and "keeper." The first part, "inn," goes back to Old English "inn," meaning a dwelling or lodging, and it is related to the word "in," pointing to a place you go into. The second part, "keeper," comes from the verb "keep" in its older sense of looking after, guarding, or managing something. Put together, an innkeeper is literally someone who keeps or manages an inn. The word emerged in Middle English as "inkeper," and it appeared alongside an earlier synonym, "inholder," which was built the same way with "holder" in place of "keeper." Both formations show how English speakers naturally described the role by its duty: the person who holds or keeps the lodging. "Keeper" won out over "holder" in the long run, and it has stayed the standard term ever since.

Synonyms: host, landlord