man

> -man
A suffix used with nouns to form nouns indicating someone's job, as in barman, chairman, clergyman, coalman, fireman, policeman, postman, salesman.
In modern usage, when attempts are being made to remove sexism from the language, alternatives have been sought for any words ending in -man. Formerly, words ending in -man were often used whether or not the person referred to was definitely known to be a man. Different ways have been found to avoid the sexism of -man. "Salesman" has been changed in many cases to "salesperson", "chairman" often becomes "chairperson" or "chair". Similarly, "fireman" has become "fire-fighter" and "policeman" frequently becomes "police officer". See -PERSON.