fireman

fireman

English

A male firefighter

A railway locomotive fireman

Etymology

fire +‎ -man

Pronunciation

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Noun

fireman (plural firemen)

1. (firefighting) Someone (implied male) who is skilled in the work of fighting fire.
2. (rail transport) A person (originally a man) who keeps the fire going underneath a steam boiler (originally, shoveling coal by hand), particularly on a railroad locomotive.
   • ca. 1913 The wreck of Old 97 [ballad, Blue Ridge Mountains], verse 3:

     He looked around his cab at his black greasy fireman, saying 'shovel on a little more coal, and when we cross that White Oak Mountain, you can watch Old 97 roll'.

   • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, Chapter IX, p. 140,

     No grass grew under a train when the engineer let Fireman McLash take the throttle.

   • 2013 August 24, Sophie Wyllie, quoting Tina Pinney, “Volunteer Tina steams ahead and becomes qualified fireman on North Norfolk Railway”, in Eastern Daily Press‎, ISSN 1468-4039:

     I was elated to pass because there were times when I did not think I was physically capable. It is quite rare for a woman to become a fireman.

3. (rail transport) By extension of the above, an assistant on any locomotive, whether steam-powered or not.
4. (baseball) A relief pitcher.
5. (mining, historical) A safety inspector in coal mines.

Usage notes

• (firefighting): Historically meant only a man, but now used to refer to female firefighters as well. In modern usage, the gender-inclusive term firefighter is generally preferred.
• (rail transport): This term is commonly used for both males and females, firewoman is rarer in this sense.

Antonyms

• firewoman

Hypernyms

• firefighter
• smoke eater

Related terms

terms related to fireman

• fire truck
• fire engine
• fire extinguisher
• fire hose

• fire station
• fire hydrant
• fireplug

Translations

someone skilled in fighting fire — see firefighter

male skilled in fighting fire

Bulgarian: пожарника̀р m (požarnikàr) Finnish: palomies (fi) Greek: πυροσβέστης (el) m (pyrosvéstis) Hungarian: tűzoltó (hu) Irish: fear dóiteáin m Italian: pompiere (it) Macedonian: пожа́рникар m (požárnikar) Navajo: kǫʼ yiniłtsésí, kǫʼ deiniłtsésí pl

Norwegian: brannmann m Portuguese: bombeiro (pt) m, homem do fogo m Romanian: pompier (ro) m Russian: пожа́рный (ru) m (požárnyj), пожа́рная f (požárnaja), пожа́рник (ru) m (požárnik), пожа́рница (ru) f (požárnica) Scottish Gaelic: fear-smàlaidh m Spanish: bombero (es) m Swedish: brandman (sv) c Volapük: (♂♀) lefilapoldan (vo), (♂) lefilahipoldan

man who keeps the fire going underneath a steam boiler

Czech: topič (cs) m Esperanto: hejtisto Finnish: lämmittäjä (fi) German: Heizer (de) Hungarian: fűtő (hu) Macedonian: ло́жач m (lóžač) Norwegian: Bokmål: fyrbøter m

Romanian: fochist (ro) m Russian: кочега́р (ru) m (kočegár) Serbo-Croatian: ložač (sh) m Spanish: fogonero (es) m Swedish: eldare (sv) c

assistant on any locomotive

Finnish: lämmittäjä (fi) Hungarian: fűtő (hu)

Romanian: fochist (ro) m Serbo-Croatian: ložač (sh) m

pitcher

Finnish: syöttäjä (fi)

Hungarian: dobó (hu), dobójátékos

See also

• tillerman
• stoker

Anagrams

• inframe