替大家守著時間的人
這一組最貼近字面：keeper 是看管的人，他看管的東西就是時間。旁邊的人做自己的事，時間交給他。
noun · B1
Someone whose job is to measure and write down time for other people: how long each runner, team or task takes at an event, or how many hours each worker has been at work.
計時員
核心畫面
Picture someone standing at the side of the action with a watch in their hand. They are not running the race and not doing the work; their one job is to hold the time for everybody else. Keeper is the same element as in goalkeeper and : the one who looks after a thing. A timekeeper looks after time. From that picture the word points two ways. One way is the person or thing that holds the time for others: the official at the finish line, the clerk with the hours, the drummer holding the beat. The other way is a judgement — how well a person or a watch keeps to the time — and that way always needs a word like good or bad in front of it.
可以想成一個人站在場邊，手上拿著碼錶。他不下場比賽，也不做那份工，他的工作就是替大家「守著時間」。keeper 跟 …更多收起
可以想成一個人站在場邊，手上拿著碼錶。他不下場比賽，也不做那份工，他的工作就是替大家「守著時間」。keeper 跟 goalkeeper（守門員）、shopkeeper（店主）的 keeper 是同一個字，都是「看著、管著某樣東西的人」，而 timekeeper 管的就是時間。從這個畫面往兩邊長。一邊是「替別人抓時間的人或東西」：終點線旁的裁判、記工時的職員、樂團裡掌拍的鼓手。另一邊是「守得好不好」的評語：這個人準不準時、這支錶走不走得準——這一邊前面一定要配 good、bad 之類的字。From the word’s history
Wiktionary gives the word simply as time + keeper. Keeper is the same element as in goalkeeper and shopkeeper: the one who looks after something. So the whole word is the one who looks after the time.
Wiktionary 直接把這個字拆成 time + keeper。keeper 跟 goalkeeper、shopkeeper 的 keeper 一樣，都是「看管某樣東西的人」，所以整個字就是「看管時間的人」。
Wiktionary entry for timekeeper, packet etymology_text 'From time + keeper' (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:998189876)
Two branches
時間守得好不好
同樣是「守時間」，但重點從「由誰管」換成「管得準不準」。所以這一組前面一定要配 good、bad、poor 這類字，單講 a timekeeper 不會有這個意思。
noun · B2
Used with a word like good, bad or poor to say how well someone arrives on time, again and again — a good timekeeper turns up at the hour they said, and a poor timekeeper is often late.
守時的人