Stationmaster

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The official who manages the daily operations of a railway station and oversees its staff and passengers
2. A person responsible for running a railway station, including its services, safety and the people who work there
3. The railway employee in overall command of a station, handling schedules, staff and the needs of travelers

Etymology: A stationmaster is, quite literally, the master of a station, and the word is a plain compound of "station" and "master." The first element, "station," came into English from Old French "estation," ultimately from Latin "statio," meaning a standing place or post, which is why the older senses of the word involve staying put: a military post, a fixed location where one stands on duty. The railway sense developed later, when "station" came to mean a place where trains stopped and passengers boarded. The second element, "master," descends from Latin "magister," a teacher or chief, and has long been used for a person in charge of something. Combined with "station," the word names the official responsible for running a single stopping place on a railway line.

Synonyms: station manager, stationkeeper