Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pilot” come from?

Pilot comes from Middle French pilot, from Italian piloto, from Latin pillottus, a word of uncertain origin and meaning.

pilot (English): A person who steers a ship, a helmsman; A person...

Definitions

  1. A person who steers a ship, a helmsman; A person...

Ancestry of “pilot”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchpilotstake
2Italianpilotofirst-person singular present indicative of...
3Latinpillottus—

Words derived from “pilot”

  • piloting
  • autopilot
  • copilot
  • pilotage
  • pilothouse
  • pilotless
  • nonpilot
  • piloter
  • pilotry
  • pilotism
  • pilotweed
  • helipilot
  • pilotable
  • repilot
  • pilotess
  • pilotbird
  • オートパイロット
  • otopilot
  • pailot
Every word from Latin pillottus →