caretaking
|care-tak-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˈkɛrteɪkɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˈkeəteɪkɪŋ/
assuming responsibility to provide care
Etymology
'caretaking' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'care' + 'taking' (the gerund/participle of 'take'), where 'care' meant 'concern, attention' and 'take' meant 'to hold or assume responsibility'.
'care' comes from Old English 'caru' (concern, sorrow) and Proto-Germanic roots meaning worry; 'take' comes from Old Norse 'taka' meaning 'to take, grasp'. The compound 'care-taking' developed in Modern English by combining the noun 'care' with the gerund/participle form of 'take' to express the act of taking care.
Initially the separate elements meant 'concern/attention' and 'to take/assume'; combined, they came to mean 'the act of assuming responsibility for care', a meaning that has remained stable into modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the activity or responsibility of looking after, managing, or providing care for someone or something (especially for people who need assistance or for property/facilities).
The hospital's caretaking of elderly patients includes both medical and daily-living support.
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Adjective 1
relating to or providing care or oversight; serving a temporary caring/management function.
She was hired in a caretaking role while the organization searched for a permanent director.
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Last updated: 2025/09/18 08:41