fireman
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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfaɪɹmən/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfaɪəmən/
Audio (UK) (file) - Hyphenation: fire‧man
Noun[edit]
fireman (plural firemen)
- (firefighting) Someone (especially one who is male) who is skilled in the work of fighting fire.
- 1993, Nancy F. Cott (editor), History of Women in the United States. Historical Articles on Women's Lives and Activities. 15. Women and War, page 432:
- By February 1944 there were over two thousand women employed at the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company [...]. There were also female firemen on almost every shipyard crane [...].
- 30 June 2019, 'Don't call us for cats stuck in trees', Fire Brigade warns (Daily Telegraph)
- For firemen everywhere rescuing cats from trees has been as much a part of the job as tackling blazing buildings.
- Synonyms: firefighter, smoke eater
- Hyponyms: firewoman, hotshot, smokejumper
- 1993, Nancy F. Cott (editor), History of Women in the United States. Historical Articles on Women's Lives and Activities. 15. Women and War, page 432:
- (rail transport, nautical) A person (originally a man) who keeps the fire going underneath a steam boiler (originally, shoveling coal by hand), particularly on a railroad locomotive or steamship.
- 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, [1]
- 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[2], 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.
- 2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948:
- The driver remained at his post, while telling fireman Jim Nightall to get down on the track and run back to uncouple the burning wagon from the rest.
- ca. 1913 The wreck of Old 97 [ballad, Blue Ridge Mountains], verse 3:
- (rail transport, by extension) An assistant on any locomotive, whether steam-powered or not.
- (baseball) A relief pitcher (reflecting the figurative analogy of rescuing the situation).
- (mining, historical) A safety inspector in coal mines.
Usage notes[edit]
- (firefighting): Historically 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.
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
someone skilled in fighting fire — see firefighter
male skilled in fighting fire
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person who keeps the fire going underneath a steam boiler
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assistant on any locomotive
pitcher
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See also[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Categories:
- English terms suffixed with -man
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Firefighting
- en:Rail transportation
- en:Nautical
- English terms with quotations
- en:Baseball
- en:Mining
- English terms with historical senses
- en:Occupations
- en:People