pioneer

C1 Topic:People & Society

US /ˌpaɪ.əˈnɪɹ/ UK /ˌpaɪ.əˈnɪə(ɹ)/ See IPA manual

Freq #12485

Meanings

1

noun
A person who is among the first to develop or explore a new area, idea, or activity.

She was a pioneer in the field of computer science.
2

noun
One of the first people to settle in a new and unknown land.

The pioneers travelled west with only what they could carry.
3

verb
To be the first to do or develop something, opening the way for others.

The young doctor pioneered a new surgical technique.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person who is among the... trailblazerinnovator

2 noun · one of the first people to... settler colonist

3 verb · to be the first to do or... break new groundopen up

Word family

Forms pioneeredpioneeringpioneers

Derived forms bioneercyberpioneerpioneerdompioneeresspioneership

Appears in

Proverbs (2)

See all

Simplified etymology

Pioneer entered English in the early 16th century through French pionnier, which originally meant “foot soldier.” It is historically related to medieval Latin pedo, “foot soldier,” from Latin pes, ped-, “foot.”

Etymology

From Middle French pionnier (“originally, a foot soldier”), Old French peonier, from peon (“a foot soldier”) (modern French: pion). See pawn (in chess).

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# pioneer

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˌpaɪ.əˈnɪɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌpaɪ.əˈnɪə(ɹ)/
**Frequency rank:** 12485

## Meanings
1. A person who is among the first to develop or explore a new area, idea, or activity.
2. One of the first people to settle in a new and unknown land.
3. To be the first to do or develop something, opening the way for others.

## Examples
- She was a pioneer in the field of computer science.
- The pioneers travelled west with only what they could carry.
- The young doctor pioneered a new surgical technique.

## Derived Forms
- bioneer
- cyberpioneer
- pioneerdom
- pioneeress
- pioneership

## Etymology
From Middle French pionnier (“originally, a foot soldier”), Old French peonier, from peon (“a foot soldier”) (modern French: pion). See pawn (in chess).

## AI Etymology
Pioneer is from Middle French pionnier (“originally, a foot soldier”), Old French peonier, from peon (“a foot soldier”) (modern French: pion). See pawn (in chess). In present-day use, it can mean a person who is among the first to develop or explore a new area, idea, or activity, or one of the first people to settle in a new and unknown land. Derived formations include bioneer, cyberpioneer, pioneerdom, pioneeress, pioneership.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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