Finders Keepers Uses a Very Old Sense of Keeper
A keeper looks after something. The word covers goalkeepers, zookeepers, lighthouse keepers and anything worth holding on to.
A keeper is one who guards or looks after something. The word combines with almost anything: *goalkeeper*, *zookeeper*, *innkeeper*, *shopkeeper*, *beekeeper*, *gamekeeper*, *housekeeper*. Modern informal use turns it into a judgement — calling something *a keeper* means it is worth holding on to.
- One who looks after something. *A zookeeper.*
- A goalkeeper. *The keeper saved it.*
- Something worth keeping. *That recipe is a keeper.*
- Am I my brother's keeper? — a biblical phrase. *Am I my brother's keeper?*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | keeper | A lighthouse keeper. |
| Plural | keepers | Two keepers. |
| Verb | keep | Keep the change. |
| Past | kept | She kept it. |
| Compound | gamekeeper | The estate gamekeeper. |
How it is used in a sentence
- That one is a keeper.Worth holding on to.
- The keeper pulled off a fine save.Football.
- Am I my brother's keeper?Genesis, spoken by Cain.
Keeper compounds
- Goalkeeper — defends the goal
- Gamekeeper — manages wildlife on an estate
- Beekeeper — keeps hives
- Housekeeper — runs a household
- Bookkeeper — the only common English word with three consecutive double letters
From *keep*, Old English *cepan*, to seize or observe, plus the agent suffix *-er*.
Which English word has three double letters in a row?
Bookkeeper, and its related form bookkeeping. The pattern is oo, kk, ee.
Where does *am I my brother's keeper* come from?
From Genesis, where Cain answers God's question about Abel with it. It has become a phrase about responsibility for others.