collier
/'kɔliə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A coal miner: A person whose occupation is to extract coal from underground or surface mines. 2. A ship for transporting coal: A vessel specifically designed or used for carrying coal as cargo. 3. A sailor on a coal ship: A member of the crew serving on a coal-carrying vessel.
Usage Examples
- Noun (coal miner):
- Her grandfather was a collier in Wales for over forty years.
- The life of a collier in the 19th century was often dangerous and difficult.
- Noun (coal ship):
- The collier was loaded with fuel for the power station.
- A fleet of colliers regularly supplied the coastal factory.
- Noun (sailor on a coal ship):
- He worked as a collier, sailing between Newcastle and London.
Advanced Usage
- Historical/Industrial Context: The term is strongly associated with historical coal-mining regions and the era of steam power, when coal was the primary industrial fuel.
- The museum exhibit detailed the tools used by a collier in the 1800s.
- As part of a compound noun (listed separately): The word forms part of specific historical job titles or terms, such as "collier-hewer" (a miner who cuts coal).
Variants and Related Words
- Colliery (n): A coal mine and its associated buildings and equipment.
- The abandoned colliery is now a heritage site.
Synonyms
- Coal miner: pitman, miner (in a coal context).
- Coal ship: coal carrier, bulk carrier (when carrying coal).
- Sailor: seaman, mariner.
Related Phrases
- To work as a collier: To have the job of a coal miner.
- He began to work as a collier at the age of fourteen.
Noun
- someone who works in a coal mine