firebox
noun
firebox is a noun meaning “The chamber of a steam engine, or a steam locomotive, in which the fuel is burned” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled F-I-R-E-B-O-X, and it appears about once in every 4 million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data). The plural of firebox is fireboxes.
What does firebox mean?
noun
- 1
The chamber of a steam engine, or a steam locomotive, in which the fuel is burned.
- 2
The part of a fireplace where the fuel is burned.
- 3
slangvulgarA redheaded woman or her red pubic hair.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of firebox
- fireboxes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How common is firebox?
Firebox appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 61,481st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Words people confuse with firebox
Also written: fire box (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Firebox in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense chamber of steam engine:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Feuerbüchse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does firebox come from?
From fire + box. In the sense of a redheaded woman, from box (“vagina”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).