1. hostler - Noun
2. Hostler - Proper noun
An innkeeper. [Obs.] See Hosteler.
The person who has the care of horses at an inn or stable; hence, any one who takes care of horses; a groom; -- so called because the innkeeper formerly attended to this duty in person.
The person who takes charge of a locomotive when it is left by the engineer after a trip.
Source: Webster's dictionaryHis father first worked as a hostler Gittings (1968), 11 at the stables attached to the Swan and Hoop Inn, an establishment he later managed, and where the growing family lived for some years. Source: Internet
For example, an ostler (a keeper of horses) and a hostler (an innkeeper) could easily be confused for one another. Source: Internet