Pitman
/ˈpɪt.mən/noun
A person who works in a pit, especially a coal miner.
Did you know?In historical English, “pit” could evoke not just a hole in the ground but a grave or abyss, so “pitman” carried a grim, subterranean edge long before industrial mining.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
pytt
“A hole, ditch, or well; also a grave-like pit”
Late Old English / Middle English
English
pit
“A hole or depression in the ground”
Middle English
English
pitman
“A man who works in or around a pit”
18th–19th Century
English
pitman
“Especially a coal miner”
Modern English
English
pitman
“A miner or pit worker”