pilot

English Online Dictionary. What means pilot‎? What does pilot mean?

English

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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpaɪlət/
• Homophone: Pilate
• Rhymes: -aɪlət

Noun

pilot (plural pilots)

1. A person who steers a ship, a helmsman.
2. A person who knows well the depths and currents of a harbor or coastal area, who is hired by a vessel to help navigate the harbor or coast.
3. A guide book for maritime navigation.
4. An instrument for detecting the compass error.
5. (Australia, road transport, informal) A pilot vehicle.
6. (Australia, road transport) A person authorised to drive such a vehicle during an escort.
7. A guide or escort through an unknown or dangerous area.
   • 1834, David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, E. L. Cary and A. Hart, page 43:

     So we mounted our horses, and put out for that town, under the direction of two friendly Creeks we had taken for pilots.

8. Something serving as a test or trial.
   1. (mining) The heading or excavation of relatively small dimensions, first made in the driving of a larger tunnel.
9. (telecommunications, often attributive) A tone or signal, usually a single frequency, transmitted over a communications system for control or synchronization purposes.
11. (aviation) A person who is in charge of the controls of an aircraft.
12. (television) A sample episode of a proposed TV series produced to decide if it should be made or not. If approved, typically the first episode of an actual TV series.
13. (rail transport) A cowcatcher.
14. (Europe, motor racing) A racing driver.
15. A pilot light.
16. One who flies a kite.
17. A short plug, sometimes made interchangeable, at the end of a counterbore to guide the tool.

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Adjective

pilot (not comparable)

1. Made or used as a test or demonstration of capability.

   a pilot run of the new factory

   The pilot plant showed the need for major process changes.

2. Used to control or activate another device.

   a pilot light

3. Being a vehicle to warn other road users of the presence of an oversize vehicle/combination.

   a pilot vehicle

Translations

Verb

pilot (third-person singular simple present pilots, present participle piloting, simple past and past participle piloted)

1. (transitive) To control (an aircraft or watercraft).
2. (transitive) To guide (a vessel) through coastal waters.
3. (transitive) To test or have a preliminary trial of (an idea, a new product, television show, etc.)
4. (rail transport, of a locomotive) To serve as the leading locomotive on a double-headed train.
5. (transitive) To guide or conduct (a person) somewhere.

Translations

References

• “pilot”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “pilot”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• potli, ptilo-, topil

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [piˈlɔt]
• Rhymes: -ɔt

Etymology 1

From Italian pilota.

Adjective

pilot (invariable)

1. pilot

   planta pilot ― pilot plant

Noun

pilot m or f (plural pilots)

1. pilot
2. driver

Derived terms

• copilot
• pilotar
• pilotí

Noun

pilot m (plural pilots)

1. light, warning light
2. (television) pilot

   Synonym: episodi pilot

Etymology 2

From pila +‎ -ot.

Noun

pilot m (plural pilots)

1. pile, heap
2. ball, bundle

   pilot de cera ― ball of wax

3. (cycling) peloton

Further reading

• “pilot” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “pilot”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “pilot” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “pilot” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpɪlot]

Noun

pilot m anim

1. pilot (controller of aircraft)

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “pilot”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “pilot”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “pilot”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Danish

Noun

pilot c (singular definite piloten, plural indefinite piloter)

1. pilot

Declension

References

• “pilot” in Den Danske Ordbog

Indonesian

Etymology

Internationalism, borrowed from English pilot, 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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpilɔt̚/
• Rhymes: -lɔt, -ɔt, -t
• Hyphenation: pi‧lot

Noun

pilot (plural pilot-pilot)

1. (aviation) aviator, pilot: A person who is in charge of the controls of an aircraft

   Synonyms: aviator, juru terbang, penerbang, pilot

   Synonym: juruterbang (Standard Malay)

Derived terms

Further reading

• “pilot” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Latvian

Noun

pilot

1. vocative singular of pilots

Verb

pilot

1. present conjunctive of pilēt
2. (with the particle lai) imperative conjunctive of pilēt

Participle

pilot (invariable)

1. adverbial invariable present active participle of pilēt

Middle French

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

pilot m (plural pilots)

1. stake (pole designed to be pushed into the ground)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From French pilote.

Noun

pilot m (definite singular piloten, indefinite plural piloter, definite plural pilotene)

1. pilot (controller of an aircraft)

Synonyms

• flyger

Derived terms

• autopilot
• pilotprosjekt

References

• “pilot” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From French pilote.

Noun

pilot m (definite singular piloten, indefinite plural pilotar, definite plural pilotane)

1. pilot (controller of an aircraft)

Derived terms

• autopilot
• pilotprosjekt

References

• “pilot” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from French pilote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpi.lɔt/
• Rhymes: -ilɔt
• Syllabification: pi‧lot

Noun

pilot m pers

1. pilot (controller of aircraft)

Declension

Noun

pilot m inan

1. (electronics) remote control
2. (film, marketing) trailer (preview of a film)

   Synonyms: teaser, trailer, zwiastun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• pilot in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• pilot in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French pilote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈlot/

Noun

pilot m (plural piloți)

1. pilot

Declension

Related terms

• aeroport
• avion
• a pilota

Swedish

Etymology

From French pilote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɪˈluːt/

Noun

pilot c

1. a pilot

Declension

References

• pilot in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• pilot in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• pilot in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from French pilote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piˈlot/
• Hyphenation: pi‧lot

Adjective

pilot

1. pilot

Noun

pilot (definite accusative pilotu, plural pilotlar)

1. pilot
2. race car driver

   Synonym: araba yarışçısı

Derived terms

Related terms

• pilotaj