firebox
/ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbäks/ (ame, mw)
firebox — noun
1. the enclosed space inside a furnace, boiler, stove, or steam engine where fuel s
the enclosed space inside a furnace, boiler, stove, or steam engine where fuel such as wood or coal is burned to produce heat
Engineer Tomás opened the firebox of the steam locomotive and added fresh coal.
compound noun: steam locomotive firebox
Before lighting the wood stove, Grandpa Chen checked the firebox for old ash.
A soot layer lined the firebox, so Yuna scraped it with a wire brush.
- combustion chamber
more technical and broader; used for engines, furnaces, and rockets where fuel burns
用法筆記
Most often used in the context of older heating systems, steam locomotives, and industrial boilers. The word is less common in everyday conversation about modern central heating.
常見錯誤
2. a public container, usually red and mounted on a wall or pole, that holds a devi
a public container, usually red and mounted on a wall or pole, that holds a device for reporting a fire to the local fire station
Mrs. Okafor saw smoke from the kitchen and ran to the firebox on the corner.
prepositional phrase: on the corner
The old red firebox on Main Street still worked, but the city replaced it.
Omar pulled the handle on the firebox to report the fire across the street.
- fire alarm box
a fuller form; 'firebox' is the shortened version
- call box
sometimes used interchangeably, though call boxes can also be for police or general emergencies
用法筆記
This sense is chiefly American; in the UK and many other countries, similar devices are called 'fire alarm call points' or 'manual call points'. Most cities have replaced these boxes with phone-based emergency reporting.