Meanings
nounfirebox (plural fireboxes)
plural fireboxes
- rail transportThe chamber of a steam engine, or a steam locomotive, in which the fuel is burned.
The firebox married to Britannia's boiler is not, however, in the Doncaster tradition, notwithstanding that it is comparable in dimensions to that of the "V2." […] Britannia's firebox would appear to have derived from those of the Bulleid Pacifics, which it closely resembles.
1951 April, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 273 - The part of a fireplace where the fuel is burned.
- slangvulgarA redheaded woman or her red pubic hair.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From fire + box. In the sense of a redheaded woman, from box (“vagina”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian огнище
- огнище (ognište)part of fireplace
Catalan fogó
- fogóchamber of steam engine
Czech topeniště
- topeništěchamber of steam engine
Finnish tulipesä, tulipesä
- tulipesächamber of steam engine
- tulipesäpart of fireplace
German Feuerbüchse
- Feuerbüchsechamber of steam engine
Russian то́пка
- то́пка (tópka)chamber of steam engine
Ukrainian то́пка
- то́пка (tópka)chamber of steam engine
Cite this entry
APA
firebox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/firebox
MLA
“firebox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/firebox. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “firebox,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/firebox.
Source: firebox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.