[pahy-luh
t] 
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 15. | serving as an experimental or trial undertaking prior to full-scale operation or use: a pilot project. |
tēs steersman, equiv. to pēd(á) rudder (pl. of pēdón oar) + -ōtēs agent suffix| 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. |
| 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. |
| pi·lot (pī'lət) n.
[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. |
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 |