pitman

¹ American  

[pit-muhn] / ˈpɪt mən /

noun

plural

pitmen, pitmans

1. a person who works in a pit, as in coal mining.

2. Machinery. any of certain types of connecting rods.

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Pitman ² American  

[pit-muhn] / ˈpɪt mən /

noun

1. Sir Isaac, 1813–97, English inventor of a system of shorthand.

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Pitman ¹ British  

/ ˈpɪtmən /

noun

1. Sir Isaac. 1813–97, English inventor of a system of phonetic shorthand (1837)

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pitman ² British  

/ ˈpɪtmən /

noun

1. a person who works down a mine, esp a coal miner

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Etymology

Origin of pitman

First recorded in 1600–10; pit ¹ + -man

Example Sentences

Towering over a high street in a former mining heartland, a statue of a pitman reminds Cornwall of its industrial past.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2023

I grab a seat at the counter to watch the pitman, John Talley, at work, mincing and slicing a hot, black-crusted pork shoulder.

From Washington Post • Aug. 28, 2016

Monk describes the labor-intensive cooking process, from the pitman carefully tending the fire to chopping to a texture that’s just right.

From Washington Post • Sep. 20, 2015

After all, it was in a fairground boxing ring back in the 1930s that a young pitman from the Northumberland coalfield did go three rounds and win a pound.

From The Guardian • Aug. 5, 2010

The pitman, who was a sturdy man, had been asleep for the last three hours.

From Facing Death The Hero of the Vaughan Pit. A Tale of the Coal Mines by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)