pointsman

[ points-muhn ]

noun

, British.

, plural points·men.

1. a railway switchman.
2. a police officer who directs traffic, as at an intersection.

pointsman

/ -mən; ˈpɔɪntsˌmæn /

noun

1. a person who operates railway points US and Canadian equivalentswitchman
2. a policeman or traffic warden on point duty

Word History and Origins

Origin of pointsman¹

First recorded in 1840–50; point + -s ³ + man