fireman

fire +‎ -man

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪɹmən/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪəmən/

• Audio (UK)

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• Hyphenation: fire‧man

fireman (plural firemen)

1. (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

2. (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, chapter IX, in Capricornia‎, page 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:

     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.

   Synonym: (informal) bakehead

   Coordinate term: engineman

3. (rail transport, by extension) An assistant on any locomotive, whether steam-powered or not.
4. (baseball) A relief pitcher (reflecting the figurative analogy of rescuing the situation).
5. (mining, historical) A safety inspector in coal mines.

• (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.

• tillerman
• stoker

• feminar, inframe