Definition
A person whose job is to tend and feed fuel into a furnace or fire, especially on a ship or in an industrial setting.
Etymology
From Middle Dutch and Old English 'stoke,' meaning to push or poke. The word evolved from the action of poking fires with a stick to describe the person who maintains furnaces.
Kelly Says
Before electricity, stokers were essential crew members on steamships, working in brutal heat below deck—they were among the hardest-working sailors, yet often the least remembered in maritime history.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
火 አንደኛ
fire and-en-nya
ARالعربية
مُشْتَغِل بِالْحَرْق
mu-shtaghil bi al-harq
BNবাংলা
অগ্নি জ্বালানীকারী
og-ni jwalan-ee-ka-ree
DEDeutsch
Heizer
haye-zer
ELΕλληνικά
καθαριστής
ka-tha-ris-tis
ESEspañol
chimenista
chee-men-ee-sta
FAفارسی
آتشگر
a-tash-gar
FISuomi
tulipaikka
too-li-pai-kka
FRFrançais
chauffeur de chaudière
sho-f-ur du sho-dee-er
HAHA
maganin waka
ma-ga-nin wa-ka
HIहिन्दी
कोयला डालनेवाला
koi-la daal-ne-va-la
HUMagyar
tűzrakó
tooz-rah-koh
IDBahasa Indonesia
penghangat
pen-ga-hat
IGIG
onye na-akpo
oh-nye na-ak-po
ITItaliano
accenditore
ak-ken-dee-tore
KKKK
жөнелтпе
zho-ne-lt-pe
MRMR
अग्निशामक
ag-ni-sha-mak
MSBahasa Melayu
penghangat
pen-ga-hat
NLNederlands
vuurmaker
voo-r-ma-ker
NONorsk
fyrmaker
fyr-ma-ker
PLPolski
rozpalacz
ro-spal-ach
PTPortuguês
fogueteiro
foh-geh-tay-roh
RORomână
aprinsător
ap-rin-s-to-ar
RUРусский
топливный
toplivnyy
SVSvenska
eldare
eld-ah-reh
SWKiswahili
mchimba
m-chee-mba
TAதமிழ்
காட்டுக் கருவி
kaat-tuk kar-uvi
TEతెలుగు
దుమ్ము పెట్టేవాడు
du-m-mu pet-te-va-du
THไทย
คนเติมเชื้อเพลิง
kon tem cheua-pleeng
TLTL
tagapag-init
ta-ga-pa-git
TRTürkçe
soğutucu
soh-goo-too-koo
UKУкраїнська
топливник
topliv-nik
VITiếng Việt
người thổi lửa
nguoi thoi lua
YOYO
ọmọ́ ìgbàgbọ́
oh-moh ee-gbah-gboh
ZUZU
umthuthu
oom-thoo-thoo
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Occupational term for ship/furnace workers, predominantly male-coded. Women stokers existed in industrial contexts but remained undocumented in occupational records and literature.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'furnace operator' or 'engine room technician' for modern contexts. For historical references, specify the actual worker's gender identity rather than defaulting to masculine.
Inclusive Alternatives
["furnace operator","engine room technician","boiler operator"]
Empowerment Note
Women worked in industrial roles including as stokers during wartime labor shortages; their labor was systematically erased from occupational histories.