Keller

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A structure used for storage, often underground, especially for aging wine or food
2. A place resembling a cellar, typically found in a home or building for keeping items cool or preserving them
3. An area used for storing goods, frequently associated with dampness and low light conditions

Etymology: In English, the surname Keller once meant "hangman." It comes from the older word "queller," meaning killer or executioner, so a family bearing the name may have descended from someone who carried out executions. The same spelling also turns up in German, where Keller means "storehouse." That word traces back through Old High German "kellari" to Latin "cellarium," a storeroom, which is also the source of the English "cellar." A third family name shares the spelling without any connection. In Scottish Gaelic it is a variant of Keillor, derived from "gu leòr," meaning "plenty" or "enough." That phrase is the source of the English "galore," so one name form hides three unrelated origins: a storehouse, a killer, and abundance.