Bridgeman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A worker who looks after, repairs, or operates a bridge, especially one who controls its opening and closing
2. Someone employed to keep a bridge in good condition and to manage its operation for passing traffic or vessels
3. A person whose job is the upkeep and operation of bridges, including tending mechanisms that raise or lower them

Etymology: "Bridgeman" is a plain compound: "bridge" joined to "-man," the old English suffix denoting a person connected with a particular trade or occupation. Its literal sense is simply "a man who works on bridges," and it follows the same pattern as older English occupational words such as "fisherman" or "milkman." The compound is transparent, so the word needs little unpacking beyond its two parts. The most useful thing to know is that "bridge" itself comes from Old English "brycg," a word that has been in the language since the earliest English texts, which gives the compound a very long ancestry for its first element. The "-man" ending is the more productive of the two, appearing in countless trade names throughout the history of English.