Where does “pioneer” come from?
Pioneer comes from Middle French pionnier, from Old French peonier, derived from Old French -ier combined with Latin -arius and Latin -are, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ped- meaning foot.
pioneer (English): One who goes before, as into the wilderness,...
Definitions
- One who goes before, as into the wilderness,...
Ancestry of “pioneer”, step by step
pioneer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French pionnier
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | pionnier | infantryman |
| 2 | Old French | peonier | foot soldier |
| 3 | Old French | peon | pawn; footman; a foot soldier |
| 4 | Latin | pedō | — |
| 5 | Latin | pēs | a foot, in its senses as |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |