Railman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person employed to work on or around railways, often involved in operating trains or maintaining tracks
2. Someone who works in the railway industry performing duties related to the operation or upkeep of trains and track infrastructure
3. An individual whose job is connected to the railroad system, including tasks such as managing trains or maintaining railway lines

Etymology: "Railman" is about as transparent as English compounds get: "rail" plus "-man," the familiar suffix that names a person by their work, as in "fireman," "lineman," or "postman." The word simply joins the everyday noun for the iron or steel bar that trains run along to the old pattern of naming workers after their trade. The "rail" half has the longer history. It traces back to Old French "reille," from Latin "regula," meaning a straight rod or ruler, and it was a bar or railing long before it meant a track for locomotives. The "-man" element, by contrast, is native English, descended from Old English "mann," and it has been attached to occupational nouns for centuries. Because the compound follows an ordinary pattern, its meaning is straightforward: a person whose job involves the rail and the vehicles that run on it, rather than a specialised technical term coined for a single purpose.

Synonyms: railroad worker, conductor