pilot

Etymology

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”),^[1] hence also Ancient and Modern Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder”).^[2]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpaɪlət/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Homophone: Pilate
• Rhymes: -aɪlət

Noun

pilot (plural pilots)

1. A person who steers a ship, a helmsman.
   • 1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     They scud before the wind, and sail in open sea.
     Ahead of all the master pilot steers;
     And, as he leads, the following navy veers.

2. A person who knows well the depths and currents of a harbor or coastal area, who is hired by a vessel to help navigate the harbor or coast.
3. A guide book for maritime navigation.
4. An instrument for detecting the compass error.
5. (Australia, road transport, informal) A pilot vehicle.
6. (Australia, road transport) A person authorised to drive such a vehicle during an escort.
7. A guide or escort through an unknown or dangerous area.
   • 1834, David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, E. L. Cary and A. Hart, page 43:

     So we mounted our horses, and put out for that town, under the direction of two friendly Creeks we had taken for pilots.

8. Something serving as a test or trial.
   • 2018, Tsitsi Dangarembga, This Mournable Body, Faber & Faber (2020), page 40:

     “I agreed with my husband when he said that to do the business properly we must do a pilot first.”

   We would like to run a pilot in your facility before rolling out the program citywide.

   1. (mining) The heading or excavation of relatively small dimensions, first made in the driving of a larger tunnel.
9. (telecommunications, often attributive) A tone or signal, usually a single frequency, transmitted over a communications system for control or synchronization purposes.
11. (aviation) A person who is in charge of the controls of an aircraft.
12. (television) A sample episode of a proposed TV series produced to decide if it should be made or not. If approved, typically the first episode of an actual TV series.
    • 1994, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction, spoken by Jules (Samuel L. Jackson):

      I think her biggest deal was she starred in a pilot. […] Well, the way they pick TV shows is they make one show. That show's called a pilot. Then they show that one show to the people who pick shows, and on the strength of that one show, they decide if they wanna make more shows.

13. (rail transport) A cowcatcher.
14. (Europe, motor racing) A racing driver.
15. A pilot light.
16. One who flies a kite.
    • 2003, John P. Glaser, A Father's Collage, page 31:

      Julia has become quite a good kite pilot. She has learned how to repeatedly buzz her father's head, coming within two feet, and not hitting him.

17. A short plug, sometimes made interchangeable, at the end of a counterbore to guide the tool.

Adjective

pilot (not comparable)

1. Made or used as a test or demonstration of capability.

   a pilot run of the new factory

   The pilot plant showed the need for major process changes.

2. Used to control or activate another device.

   a pilot light

3. Being a vehicle to warn other road users of the presence of an oversize vehicle/combination.

   a pilot vehicle

Verb

pilot (third-person singular simple present pilots, present participle piloting, simple past and past participle piloted)

1. (transitive) To control (an aircraft or watercraft).
   • 1975, John H. Reed, Transportation Safety Board, Safety Information, page 30:

     I have visited more than half a dozen carrier training facilities, spent over 150 hours on jumpseats, piloted a Lockheed 1011 from MIA to LAX, visited numerous towers, rapcons, and centers, and discussed our commercial Air Transport System with everyone involved.

2. (transitive) To guide (a vessel) through coastal waters.
3. (transitive) To test or have a preliminary trial of (an idea, a new product, etc.)
4. (rail transport, of a locomotive) To serve as the leading locomotive on a double-headed train.
   • 1962 October, “Motive Power Miscellany: London Midland Region: Midland Lines”, in Modern Railways, page 279:

     One of the Midland Lines' Birmingham R.C.W. Type 2 diesels, No. D5403, made the debut of its class in the Manchester area on July 28 when it appeared in the early hours on freight; after four days in the area it left for the south piloting B.R./Sulzer Type 4 diesel No. D88 on the 2.25 Manchester Central-St. Pancras.

References

• “pilot”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “pilot”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• potli, ptilo-, topil

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [piˈlɔt]
• Rhymes: -ɔt

Etymology 1

From Italian pilota.

Etymology 2

From pila +‎ -ot.

Further reading

• “pilot” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “pilot”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “pilot” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “pilot” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpɪlot]

Noun

pilot m anim

1. pilot (controller of aircraft)

Further reading

• “pilot”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “pilot”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “pilot”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Noun

pilot c (singular definite piloten, plural indefinite piloter)

1. pilot

References

• “pilot” in Den Danske Ordbog

Etymology

Internationalism, borrowed from English pilot, 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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpilɔt̚/
• Rhymes: -lɔt, -ɔt, -t
• Hyphenation: pi‧lot

Noun

pilot (plural pilot-pilot)

1. (aviation) aviator, pilot: A person who is in charge of the controls of an aircraft.

   Synonyms: aviator, juru terbang, penerbang, pilot

   Synonym: juruterbang (Standard Malay)

Further reading

• “pilot” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Noun

pilot

1. vocative singular of pilots

Verb

pilot

1. present conjunctive of pilēt
2. (with the particle lai) imperative conjunctive of pilēt

Participle

pilot (invariable)

1. adverbial invariable present active participle of pilēt

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

pilot m (plural pilots)

1. stake (pole designed to be pushed into the ground)

Etymology

From French pilote.

Noun

pilot m (definite singular piloten, indefinite plural piloter, definite plural pilotene)

1. pilot (controller of an aircraft)

References

• “pilot” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Etymology

From French pilote.

Noun

pilot m (definite singular piloten, indefinite plural pilotar, definite plural pilotane)

1. pilot (controller of an aircraft)

References

• “pilot” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Etymology

Borrowed from French pilote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.lɔt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ilɔt
• Syllabification: pi‧lot

Noun

pilot m pers

1. pilot (controller of aircraft)

Noun

pilot m inan

1. (electronics) remote control
2. (film, marketing) trailer (preview of a film)

   Synonyms: teaser, trailer, zwiastun

Further reading

• pilot in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• pilot in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Etymology

Borrowed from French pilote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈlot/

Noun

pilot m (plural piloți)

1. pilot

Etymology

From French pilote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɪˈluːt/

Noun

pilot c

1. a pilot

   Piloten är den som styr ett flygplan, helikopter, rymdskepp eller dylikt

   The pilot is the person who controls an airplane, helicopter, spaceship, or the like

References

• pilot in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• pilot in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• pilot in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Etymology

Borrowed from French pilote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈlot/
• Hyphenation: pi‧lot

Adjective

pilot

1. pilot

Noun

pilot (definite accusative pilotu, plural pilotlar)

1. pilot
2. race car driver

   Synonym: araba yarışçısı