What does fieldsmen mean?
“Fieldsmen” is the standard plural of “fieldman,” a term used for men employed in fieldwork—most commonly agricultural labor—and, in sports, for players stationed in the outfield. The word has an occupational, traditional tone and appears in discussions of farming, estate work, and organized sport. In cricket, baseball, and football, a fielder or outfielder may be described as a fieldsman, although “fielder” and “outfielder” are often more familiar or more specific. In general prose, the two-word form “field men” can also occur, so context and editorial style help determine which form is expected. The closed form “fieldsmen” clearly marks the plural and gives the entry a period flavor when it refers to farm workers. The word is useful because it links two traditional settings: people whose work takes place in cultivated land and athletes whose defensive positions lie beyond the infield. Its straightforward morphology—field plus the now irregular plural men—also makes its meaning and inflection easy to recognize.
plural nounFieldsmen are men who work in fields, especially agricultural laborers; in sports, the term can also refer to players positioned in the outfield.
- Men employed in fieldwork, especially agricultural workers.
- Players stationed in the outfield in a sport such as baseball, cricket, or football.
"The fieldsmen returned to the farm as soon as the harvest was complete."
"Seasonal fieldsmen helped gather the crops before the autumn rains."
"The fieldsmen spread out across the outfield as the batter approached."
Fieldsmen is the standard irregular plural of fieldman, formed by changing man to men.
"The fieldsmen inspected the boundary before the match began."
From furrows to the edge of the diamond, fieldsmen carry one occupational label from farm labor into sport.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does fieldsmen come from?
The English word is a compound of field and man, with field continuing Old English feld, meaning open land or meadow, and man continuing Old English man. Fieldman developed in English occupational use before also being applied to players positioned away from the center of a playing area. Its irregular plural, fieldsmen, replaces the singular man with men, paralleling cognates such as German Feldmann and Dutch or Afrikaans veldman.
Related word forms
How fieldsmen is actually used
The agricultural sense has a traditional or occupational tone. In sport, “fielder” or “outfielder” may be more familiar or more precise. The two-word form “field men” also occurs in general prose.
Easily confused with fieldsmen
Fieldman is the singular form, while fieldsmen is its standard plural.