stoker

Meanings

1. A person who stokes, especially one on a steamship or steam train, who stokes coal in the boilers.
2. A device for stoking a fire; a poker.
3. A device that feeds coal into a furnace, etc., automatically.
4. A person who pedals on the back of a tandem bicycle.

1. A surname.

Etymology

From Middle Dutch stoker (“stoker”), from Middle Dutch stoken (“to stoke, incite”, literally “to poke, jab, thrust”), ultimately equivalent to stoke + -er. More at stoke. Compare typologically Russian кочега́р (kočegár) (akin to кочерга́ (kočergá, “poker”)).