fireman

[fahyuh r-muh n] /ˈfaɪər mən/
noun, plural firemen.
1.
a person employed to extinguish or prevent fires; firefighter.
2.
a person employed to tend fires; stoker.
3.
Railroads.
  1. a person employed to fire and lubricate a steam locomotive.
  2. a person employed to assist the engineer of a diesel or electric locomotive.
4.
U.S. Navy. an enlisted person assigned to the care and operation of a ship's machinery.
5.
British Mining. fire boss.
6.
Baseball. relief pitcher.
Origin
1620-30 for sense “gunner”; fire + -man
Usage note
See -man.
British Dictionary definitions for fireman

fireman

/ˈfaɪəmən/
noun (pl) -men
1.
a man who fights fires, usually a public employee or trained volunteer Gender-neutral form firefighter
2.
  1. (on steam locomotives) the man who stokes the fire and controls the injectors feeding water to the boiler
  2. (on diesel and electric locomotives) the driver's assistant
3.
a man who tends furnaces; stoker
4.
Also called deputy. a mine official responsible for safety precautions US equivalent fire boss
5.
(US, navy) a junior rating who works on marine engineering equipment
6.
(informal) any employee who is dispatched to deal with trouble at short notice
Word Origin and History for fireman
n.

late 14c., "tender of a fire," from fire (n.) + man (n.). As "person hired to put out (rather than tend) fires" it is attested from 1714.

Slang definitions & phrases for fireman

fireman

noun

A relief pitcher, esp an effective one: a four-run blast against fireman Joe in the eighth inning (1940s+ Baseball)

Related Terms

visiting fireman