pioneer
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Pioneer
Etymology
From Middle French pionnier (“originally, a foot soldier”), Old French peonier, from peon (“a foot soldier”) (modern French: pion). See pawn (in chess).
Pronunciation
Noun
pioneer (plural pioneers)
- One who goes before, as into the wilderness, preparing the way for others to follow.
- A person or other entity who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or progress.
- Some people will consider their national heroes to be pioneers of civilization.
- Certain politicians can be considered as pioneers of reform.
- 2013 May 10, Audrey Garric, “Urban canopies let nature bloom”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 22, page 30:
- As towns continue to grow, replanting vegetation has become a form of urban utopia and green roofs are spreading fast. Last year 1m square metres of plant-covered roofing was built in France, as much as in the US, and 10 times more than in Germany, the pioneer in this field.
- (obsolete, military) A soldier detailed or employed to form roads, dig trenches, and make bridges, as an army advances; a sapper.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene i:
- [King of] Fess. What thinks your greatnes beſt to be atchieu’d
In purſuit of the Cities ouerthrow?
Bai[azeth]. I wil the captiue Pioners of Argier,
Cut off the water, that by leaden pipes
Runs to the citie from the mountain Carnon, […]
- A member of any of several European organizations advocating abstinence from alcohol.
- (communism) A member of a children’s organization operated by the Communist Party, typically in the second of three stages toward becoming a member of the Party itself.
- (Singapore) Alternative letter-case form of Pioneer (“A Singaporean born on or before 31 December 1949, who is entitled to various healthcare and social support schemes.”)
- 2014 February 12, Theresa Goh, “Let’s reward all our pioneers equally”, in Today, Singapore: Mediacorp Press, →OCLC, page 20:
- Perhaps the pioneer generation, having experienced unity in solidarity, will show the rest of Singapore the way.
- 2017 March 14, Kelly Ng, “New showcase to seek views on Founders’ Memorial”, in Today, Singapore: Mediacorp Press, →OCLC, page 11:
- A fenceless open-air museum […] that captures the spirit and struggles of Singapore's pioneer generation.
Derived terms
Translations
one who goes before
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soldier
member of a child organization in the Soviet bloc
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Verb
pioneer (third-person singular simple present pioneers, present participle pioneering, simple past and past participle pioneered)
- (transitive) To be the first to do or achieve (something), preparing the way for others to follow.
- The young doctor pioneered a new life-saving surgical technique.
Synonyms
Translations
to be the first
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Further reading
Pioneer movement on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
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