FIREMAN

fireman

(noun) play in which children pretend to put out a fire

fireman, firefighter, fire fighter, fire-eater

(noun) a member of a fire department who tries to extinguish fires

reliever, relief pitcher, fireman

(noun) a pitcher who does not start the game

stoker, fireman

(noun) a laborer who tends fires (as on a coal-fired train or steamship)

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

fireman (plural firemen)

(firefighting) Someone (especially one who is male) who is skilled in the work of fighting fire.

(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.

(rail transport) By extension of the above, an assistant on any locomotive, whether steam-powered or not.

(baseball) A relief pitcher.

(mining, historical) A safety inspector in coal mines.

Usage notes

• (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.

Synonyms

• (firefighting): firefighter, smoke eater

Hyponyms

• (firefighting): firewoman; hotshot, smokejumper

Anagrams

• inframe

Source: Wiktionary

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Fire"man, n.; pl. Firemen (-men).

1. A man whose business is to extinguish fires in towns; a member of a fire company.

2. A man who tends the fires, as of a steam engine; a stocker.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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