pilot
/ˈpɑɪ̯.lət/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.52 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person who knows well the depths, shoals, and currents of a harbor or coastal area, who is hired by a vessel to help navigate the harbor or coast.
noun
A guide book for maritime navigation.
noun
An instrument for detecting the compass error.
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "So we mounted our horses, and put out for that town, under the direction of two friendly Creeks we had taken for pilots."
- "We would like to run a pilot in your facility before rolling out the program citywide."
- "“I agreed with my husband when he said that to do the business properly we must do a pilot first.”"
- "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."
- "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."
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”), hence also Ancient and Modern Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: pilot, pilota, *πηδώτης, πηδόν
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɑɪ̯.lət/