Hostler
Encyclopedia
An hostler or ostler in the horse industry is a groom or stableman, who is employed in a stable
to take care of horses. In the United States railroad industry
, a hostler is an employee whose job is to move locomotive
s from one track to another within a rail yard
or locomotive repair shop.
In the trucking industry, a hostler is someone who moves trailers from one position in the yard to another position.
" - and also, occasionally, "innkeeper" - is derived from Anglo-French
hostiler (modern French
hostelier), itself from Medieval Latin
hostilarius "the monk who entertains guests at a monastery", from hospitale "inn" (compare hospital
, hospitaller, hospitality
).
A similar word, hostelero (innkeeper, the one that took care of a hostal
), exists in Spanish
.
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
to take care of horses. In the United States railroad industry
Rail transport in the United States
Presently, most rail transport in the United States is based on freight train shipments. The U.S. rail industry has experienced repeated convulsions due to changing U.S. economic needs and the rise of automobile, bus, and air transport....
, a hostler is an employee whose job is to move locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s from one track to another within a rail yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
or locomotive repair shop.
In the trucking industry, a hostler is someone who moves trailers from one position in the yard to another position.
Etymology
The word is spelt "hostler" in American English, but "ostler" in British English. It is recorded since c.1386, meaning "one who tends to horses at an innINN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
" - and also, occasionally, "innkeeper" - is derived from Anglo-French
Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-Norman is the name traditionally given to the kind of Old Norman used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman period....
hostiler (modern French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
hostelier), itself from Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
hostilarius "the monk who entertains guests at a monastery", from hospitale "inn" (compare hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, hospitaller, hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
).
A similar word, hostelero (innkeeper, the one that took care of a hostal
Hostal
A hostal is a type of lodging found mostly in Spain and Hispanic America. Hostales tend to be cheaper than hotels. They normally have a bar and/or a restaurant/cafeteria where drinks and food are sold to guests and locals alike....
), exists in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.