pilot definition | Dictionary.com

pi⋅lot

[pahy-luh

–noun

1.	a person duly qualified to steer ships into or out of a harbor or through certain difficult waters.

2.	a person who steers a ship.

3.	Aeronautics. a person duly qualified to operate an airplane, balloon, or other aircraft.

4.	a guide or leader: the pilot of the expedition.

5.	coast pilot (def. 1).

6.	pilot light (def. 1).

7.	Machinery. a guide for centering or otherwise positioning two adjacent parts, often consisting of a projection on one part fitting into a recess in the other.

8.	Railroads. cowcatcher.

9.	Also called pilot film, pilot tape. Television. a prototypical filmed or taped feature, produced with hopes of network adoption as a television series and aired to test potential viewer interest and attract sponsors.

10.	a preliminary or experimental trial or test: The school will offer a pilot of its new computer course.

–verb (used with object)

11.

to steer.

12.	to lead, guide, or conduct, as through unknown places, intricate affairs, etc.

13.	to act as pilot on, in, or over.

14.	to be in charge of or responsible for: We're looking for someone to pilot the new project.

–adjective

15.	serving as an experimental or trial undertaking prior to full-scale operation or use: a pilot project.

Origin:
1520–30; earlier pylotte < MF pillotte < It pilota, dissimilated var. of pedota < MGk *pēd

tēs steersman, equiv. to pēd(á) rudder (pl. of pēdón oar) + -ōtēs agent suffix

Synonyms:
2. helmsman. 13. maneuver, manage.

coast pilot

–noun

1.	Also called pilot. a manual published by a government for mariners, containing descriptions of coastal waters, harbor facilities, etc., for a specific area.

2.	a pilot of coasting vessels.

cow⋅catch⋅er

[kou-kach-er]

–noun

a triangular frame at the front of a locomotive, esp. a steam locomotive, designed for clearing the track of obstructions.

Also called pilot.

Origin:
1830–40, Americanism; cow ¹ + catcher

pilot light

–noun

1.	Also called pilot, pilot burner. a small flame kept burning continuously, as in a gas stove or furnace, to relight the main gas burners whenever necessary or desired.

2.	pilot lamp.

Origin:
1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To pilot

pi·lot (pī'lət)

One who operates or is licensed to operate an aircraft in flight.
Nautical
1. One who, though not belonging to a ship's company, is licensed to conduct a ship into and out of port or through dangerous waters.
2. The helmsman of a ship.
One who guides or directs a course of action for others.
The part of a tool, device, or machine that leads or guides the whole.
A pilot light, as in a stove.
A television program produced as a prototype of a series being considered for adoption by a network.

tr.v. pi·lot·ed, pi·lot·ing, pi·lots

To serve as the pilot of.
To steer or control the course of. See Synonyms at guide.

adj.

Serving as a tentative model for future experiment or development: a pilot project.
Serving or leading as guide.

[Obsolete French, helmsman, from Old French, from Old Italian pilota, alteration of pedota, from Medieval Greek *pēdōtēs, from Greek pēda, steering oar, pl. of pēdon, blade of an oar; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: The pilot of an aircraft speeding through the air and the pilot of a watercraft plowing through the water both drag an etymological foot on the ground. Surprisingly enough, considering its modern contexts, the English word pilot can be traced back to the Indo-European root *ped-, meaning "foot." From the lengthened-grade suffixed form *pēdo- came the Greek word pēdon, "blade of an oar," and in the plural, "steering oar." In Medieval Greek there is assumed to have existed the derivative *pēdōtēs, "steersman," which passed into Old Italian and acquired several forms, including pedota, and pilota, the form that was borrowed into Old French as pilot. English borrowed the word from French, and as pilot it has moved from the water to the air, first being recorded in 1848 with reference to an airborne pilot—a balloonist.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Pilot

Pi"lot\, n. 1. (A["e]ronautics) One who flies, or is qualified to fly, a balloon, an airship, or a flying machine.

2. (Mach.) A short plug at the end of a counterbore to guide the tool. Pilots are sometimes made interchangeable.

3. (Mining) The heading or excavation of relatively small dimensions, first made in the driving of a larger tunnel.

Pilot

Pi"lot\, v. t. (A["e]ronautics) To fly, or act as pilot of (an aircraft).

Pilot

Pi"lot\, n. [F. pilote, prob. from D. peillood plummet, sounding lead; peilen, pegelen, to sound, measure (fr. D. & G. peil, pegel, a sort of measure, water mark) + lood lead, akin to E. lead. The pilot, then, is the lead man, i. e., he who throws the lead. See Pail, and Lead a metal.]

1. (Naut.) One employed to steer a vessel; a helmsman; a steersman. --Dryden.

2. Specifically, a person duly qualified, and licensed by authority, to conduct vessels into and out of a port, or in certain waters, for a fixed rate of fees.

3. Figuratively: A guide; a director of another through a difficult or unknown course.

4. An instrument for detecting the compass error.

5. The cowcatcher of a locomotive. [U.S.]

Pilot balloon, a small balloon sent up in advance of a large one, to show the direction and force of the wind.

Pilot bird. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A bird found near the Caribbee Islands; -- so called because its presence indicates to mariners their approach to these islands. --Crabb. (b) The black-bellied plover. [Local, U.S.]

Pilot boat, a strong, fast-sailing boat used to carry and receive pilots as they board and leave vessels.

Pilot bread, ship biscuit.

Pilot cloth, a coarse, stout kind of cloth for overcoats.

Pilot engine, a locomotive going in advance of a train to make sure that the way is clear.

Pilot fish. (Zo["o]l) (a) A pelagic carangoid fish (Naucrates ductor); -- so named because it is often seen in company with a shark, swimming near a ship, on account of which sailors imagine that it acts as a pilot to the shark. (b) The rudder fish (Seriola zonata).

Pilot jack, a flag or signal hoisted by a vessel for a pilot.

Pilot jacket, a pea jacket.

Pilot nut (Bridge Building), a conical nut applied temporarily to the threaded end of a pin, to protect the thread and guide the pin when it is driven into a hole. --Waddell.

Pilot snake (Zo["o]l.) (a) A large North American snake (Coluber obsoleus). It is lustrous black, with white edges to some of the scales. Called also mountain black snake. (b) The pine snake.

Pilot whale. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Blackfish, 1.

Pilot

Pi"lot\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Piloted; p. pr. & vb. n. Piloting.] [Cf. F. piloter.]

1. To direct the course of, as of a ship, where navigation is dangerous.

2. Figuratively: To guide, as through dangers or difficulties. "The art of piloting a state." --Berkeley.

Language Translation for : pilot

Spanish: piloto,

German: der, *die Pilot(in),

Japanese: パイロット

More Translations »

pilot (n.)

1512, "one who steers a ship," from M.Fr. pillot, from It. piloto, O.It. pedoto, usually said to be from Medieval Gk. *pedotes "rudder, helmsman," from Gk. pedon "steering oar," related to pous (gen. podos) "foot" (see foot). Change of -d- to -l- in L. parallels that in odor/olfactory. Sense extended 1848 to "one who controls a balloon," and 1907 to "one who flies an airplane." The verb is first recorded 1693.

PILOT
Programmed Inquiry Learning Or Teaching. CAI language, many versions. "Guide to 8080 PILOT", J. Starkweather, Dr Dobb's J (Apr 1977).

PILOT
phased integrated laser optics technology

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