Pioneer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Pioneer (disambiguation).
Look up pioneer in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A pioneer (pronounced /ˌpаɪəˈnɪər/) is a person who is one of the first to do something.[1] A pioneer may settle previously uninhabited territory, or open up new areas of thought or research.[2] The word is derived from the French language (French: pionnier), from Old French peonier, foot soldier, from the root 'peon', in turn derived from pedn-, from Late Latin, "one who has broad feet". It was probably brought into English use by Captain George Smith who defines it as

PIONEERS, in war-time, are such as are commanded in from the country, to march with an army, for mending the ways, for working on intrenchments, and fortifications, and for making mines and approaches: the soldiers are likewise employed in all these things. Most of the foreign regiments of artillery have half a company of pioneers, well instructed in that important branch of duty. Our regiments of infantry and cavalry have 3 or 4 pioneers each, provided with aprons, hatchets, saws, spades, and pick-axes.[3]

In the past it had been a military occupation within the European armies in the Artillery and later Engineer branch of Service. Their primary job was to assist other Arms in tasks such as construction of field fortifications or military camps.

The notions of walking and construction also apply to the American English use of "pioneer" to refer to a settler, a person who has migrated to a less occupied area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. In this usage, pioneers are usually among the first to an area, whereas settlers can arrive after first settlement and join others. This correlates with the work of military pioneers who were tasked with construction of camps before the rest of the troops would arrive at the designated camp site.

A similar military occupation to the pioneer is that of a sapper. The United States Marine Corps have sometimes organized their sappers into "Pioneer Battalions".

Another common use is to establish one as an innovator in a particular field, ie: "Mr. Smith is a pioneer in the teaching profession..."

In United States history the "American pioneer" refers to those people who helped to settle new lands.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)
  1. ^ Pioneer definition. Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
  2. ^ pioneer. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. Bartleby.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
  3. ^ Captain Smith, George., An Universal Military Dictionary, or A copious explanation of the technical terms & c. used in the equipment, machinery movements and military operations of an army..., London, Printed for J. Millan, near Whitehall, 1779