janitor [M16th] A caretaker or doorkeeper particularly in North America is referred to as a janitor, a word that was borrowed into English from Latin ju¯nua ‘door’. This comes from Janus, the name of an ancient Italian god regarded as the doorkeeper of heaven, and the guardian of doors and gates. He was traditionally represented with two faces, so that he could look both backwards and forwards. January comes from a Latin word meaning ‘month of Janus’, and marks the entrance to the year.