Hostler

, 1818 A hostler ( or ) or ostler was traditionally a groom or stableman who was employed in a stable to take care of horses, usually at an inn, in the era of transportation by horse or horse-drawn carriage. In the twentieth century the word came to be used in the railroad industry for a type of train driver in rail yards with switcher locomotives or a type of truck driver in similar work with terminal tractors.

, 1818]] A hostler ( or ) or ostler was traditionally a groom or stableman who was employed in a stable to take care of horses, usually at an inn, in the era of transportation by horse or horse-drawn carriage. In the twentieth century the word came to be used in the railroad industry for a type of train driver in rail yards with switcher locomotives or a type of truck driver in similar work with terminal tractors. ==Etymology== The word is spelled "hostler" in American English, but "ostler" in British English. It traces to , meaning "one who tends to horses at an inn"—and also, occasionally, "innkeeper"—is derived from Anglo-French hostiler (modern French ), itself from Medieval Latin "the monk who entertains guests at a monastery", from hospitale "inn" (compare hospital, hospitaller, hospitality). A similar word, (innkeeper, the one that took care of a hostal), exists in Spanish. ==Modern uses== According to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, an ostler in motor transportation is a type of truck driver who directs trucks or tractors at vehicle parking or docking areas to move, position, or park trucks or trailers. In the United States railroad industry a hostler is a train driver, a type of railroad engineer who moves locomotives in and out of service facilities. ==See also== Teamster Groom (profession) ==References== ==External links==

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1223581500 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.