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Added 8 October 2026

pilot

/ˈpaɪ̯.lət/ noun

In Latin: gubernātor Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pilot at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Someone who is licensed to operate an aircraft in flight.
A person qualified to guide ships through difficult waters going into or out of a harbor.
A program exemplifying a contemplated series; intended to attract sponsors.

verb

Operate an airplane.
The pilot flew to Cuba
Act as the navigator in a car, plane, or vessel and plan, direct, plot the path and position of the conveyance.
Is anyone volunteering to navigate during the trip?

Origin

From Middle French pilot, pillot, from Italian pilota, piloto, older also pedotta, pedot(t)o (the form in pil- is probably influenced by pileggiare (“to sail, navigate”)); ultimately from unattested Byzantine Greek *πηδώτης (*pēdṓtēs, “helmsman”), from Ancient Greek πηδόν (pēdón, “blade of an oar, oar”), hence also Ancient and Modern Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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