keeper

English

Etymology

From Middle English kepere, equivalent to keep +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkiːpə/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkiːpɚ/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -iːpə(ɹ)

Noun

keeper (plural keepers)

One who keeps (retains) something.
Finders keepers; losers weepers.
One who remains or keeps in a place or position.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Titus 2:5:
  discreet; chaste; keepers at home
- 1971, H. R. F. Keating, The Strong Man
  I was not altogether surprised: they seemed to be, even more than people in the surrounding wolds, stolid keepers-to-themselves, impossible to stir, dourly determined to stick to the firm routine of their lives […]
A fruit or vegetable that keeps (remains good) for some time without spoiling.
- c. 1847, Andrew Jackson Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America:
  Roxbury Russet: Market and keeper.
- 1878, Journal of Horticulture and Practical Gardening, volume 35, page 331:
  And mark you, good keepers are some years bad keepers, as this year; and a hard, heavy, unbruisable Apple that really will keep to late on in the season is doubly valuable.
(informal) A person or thing worth keeping.
- 1970, Field & Stream, volume 75, number 7, page 76:
  "Okay, that's a keeper," Harold said as he netted the 3-pounder and put him on a stringer over the side of the boat.
- 2005, Ladies' Home Journal, Volume 122, Issues 7-12, page 101:
  When he brought me home and volunteered to come with me while I walked my dog, Max, I knew he was a keeper.
- 2008, Jennifer Zomar, A Candle for the Children, page 28:
  We hadn't dated for long when he said those three magic words: "I'll cook tonight." I knew he was a keeper.
A person charged with guarding or caring for, storing, or maintaining something; a custodian, a guard; sometimes a gamekeeper.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Genesis 4:9:
  And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
- 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 4, in The Dust of Conflict‎:
  The inquest on keeper Davidson was duly held, and at the commencement seemed likely to cause Tony Palliser less anxiety than he had expected.
(sports) The player charged with guarding a goal or wicket. Short form of goalkeeper, wicketkeeper.
- 2011 June 4, Phil McNulty, “England 2 - 2 Switzerland”, in BBC‎:
  England should have capitalised on their growing momentum to win, but Darren Bent failed to reproduce the finishing touches that have brought him goals in three successive appearances. He was blocked by Diego Benaglio when he was played in by Wilshere then blazed over the top of an open goal late on after Young's shot was saved by Switzerland's keeper.
A part of a mechanism that catches or retains another part, for example the part of a door lock that fits in the frame and receives the bolt.
A thin, flexible tress or tongue of material (e.g. leather) at the end of a crop opposite the handle, which is broad enough to prevent the horse's skin from being marked as it might be by a whip.
- 1912, Minnie McIntyre; Edward E. Wood; Alexander Henry Waddell; Wilfred Jay; Wilfred P. Pond, Bit & Spur, page 39:
  The all-whalebone crop, braided with gut, pigskin handle, single brown stitched leather keeper, and close […]
- 2022 February 22, Gretchen Felker-Martin, Manhunt, Tor Nightfire, →ISBN:
  “When we catch you—” A brief but vivid fantasy of the nose-ringed girl trailing a riding crop's cool leather keeper over her clenched and trembling ass shoved its way eagerly into Fran's imagination. “—we're gonna […] ”
(American football) An offensive play in which the quarterback runs toward the goal with the ball after it is snapped.
Synonym of armature (“piece of metal connecting the poles of a magnet to preserve its strength by forming a circuit”)

Derived terms

account-keeper
beekeeper
bookkeeper
book-keeper
bridgekeeper
brothelkeeper
crossing keeper
deer-keeper
doorkeeper
dungeon-keeper
forestkeeper
gamekeeper
game keeper
gaolkeeper
gatekeeper
goalkeeper
greenskeeper
groundkeeper
groundskeeper
harem-keeper
hotelkeeper
housekeeper
innkeeper
jailkeeper
keeperess
keykeeper
lightkeeper
lighthousekeeper
lockkeeper
menagerie keeper
parkkeeper
ringkeeper
ring-keeper
Sabbath-keeper
Sabbath keeper
salad keeper
scorekeeper
seal keeper
shopkeeper
storekeeper
tally-keeper
timekeeper
watchkeeper
wicketkeeper
wicket-keeper
zookeeper

Translations

person who keeps something

Armenian: պահապան (hy) (pahapan)
Azerbaijani: qoruqçu (of a protected place or reserve), nəzarətçi
Bulgarian: пазач (bg) m (pazač)
Dutch: bewaarder (nl) m, bewaarster (nl) f
French: gardien (fr) m, gardienne (fr) f
Georgian: მცველი (mcveli), დარაჯი (daraǯi), შემნახველი (šemnaxveli)
German: Hüter (de) m
Kyrgyz: сактоочу (ky) (saktooçu), күзөтчү (ky) (küzötçü)
Russian: храни́тель (ru) m (xranítelʹ), храни́тельница (ru) f (xranítelʹnica)
Spanish: guardián (es) m, guardiana (es) f
Telugu: కాపరి (te) (kāpari)
Uzbek: qoʻriqchi (uz) (of a protected place or reserve)
Zazaki: weynayoğ c, starwan c

someone or something worth keeping

Dutch: houder (nl)
French: perle (fr) f

guard, custodian

Bengali: মহাফেজ (bn) (môhafez)
Bulgarian: страж (bg) m (straž), пазач (bg) m (pazač)
Dutch: bewaker (nl) m, bewaakster (nl) f, conservator (nl) m, behoeder (nl) m
Egyptian:

(jrj)
Finnish: vartija (fi)
French: conservateur (fr) m, conservatrice (fr) f, gardien (fr) m, gardienne (fr) f
Georgian: მცველი (mcveli), დარაჯი (daraǯi)
German: Wächter (de) m, Hüter (de) f
Greek: φύλακας (el) m or f (fýlakas)
Irish: coimeádaí m, maor m
Japanese: 番人 (ja) (bannin)
Kyrgyz: күзөтчү (ky) (küzötçü), көзөмөлдөчү (közömöldöçü)
Latin: iānitor (la) m, iānitrīx f
Polish: strażnik (pl) m, strażniczka (pl) m or f
Portuguese: guardião (pt) m, guardiã f
Russian: сто́рож (ru) m (stórož), охра́нник (ru) m (oxránnik), стра́жник (ru) m (strážnik)
Spanish: guardián (es) m, guardiana (es) f, custodio (es) m
Swedish: väktare (sv) c, vårdare (sv) c
Telugu: కాపరి (te) (kāpari)
Zazaki: starer c

guardian of goal

Bulgarian: вратар (bg) m (vratar)
Dutch: keeper (nl) m, doelman (nl) m, doelvrouw (nl) f, doelwachter m
Finnish: maalivahti (fi)
French: gardien de but (fr) m, gardienne de but f
German: Torwart (de) m, Tormann (de) m
Indonesian: kiper (id)
Italian: portiere (it) m
Japanese: キーパー (kīpā)
Norwegian: keeper m
Portuguese: goleiro (pt) m
Swahili: golikipa (sw), kipa (sw)
Swedish: målvakt (sv) c

part of mechanism

Dutch: houder (nl) m
French: gâche (fr) f, arrêtoir (fr) m
Russian: контрга́йка (ru) f (kontrgájka)
Swedish: spärr (sv) c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Slovene: ^{(please verify)} varuh m (1), ^{(please verify)} čuvaj m (1), ^{(please verify)} vratar (sl) m (2)

Anagrams

peeker

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English keeper.

Pronunciation

Audio (file)
Hyphenation: kee‧per
Rhymes: -ipər

Noun

keeper m (plural keepers, diminutive keepertje n)

(sports) keeper, goalie

Synonyms

doelman
doelvrouw

Descendants

→ Indonesian: keeper