pithead

[pit-hed]

noun

1. a mine entrance and the surrounding area.

pithead

/ ˈpɪtˌhɛd /

noun

1. the top of a mine shaft and the buildings, hoisting gear, etc, situated around it

Word History and Origins

Origin of pithead¹

First recorded in 1830–40; pit ¹ + head

Example Sentences

One of the quirkier lots sold included pithead gear from a working mineshaft built by Dibnah, bought by a man who wants to set it up at his property.

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It is better to burn it at the pithead and transport the electricity thus generated instead.

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Barnsley Main colliery eventually took over the workings of the Oaks Colliery, with the surviving engine house and the pithead structures Grade II listed.

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Van Gogh drew the pitheads, the simple homes, the miners' potato patches, even, after an underground visit, the coalface itself.

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We drive on, though a flat landscape punctuated with slag heaps and pithead gear.

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