pioneer

¹pi·o·neer

noun \ˌpī-ə-ˈnir\

Definition of PIONEER

1

: a member of a military unit usually of construction engineers

2

a : a person or group that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity or a new method or technical development b : one of the first to settle in a territory

3

: a plant or animal capable of establishing itself in a bare, barren, or open area and initiating an ecological cycle

Examples of PIONEER

1. the pioneers who settled in the American West in the 19th century
2. <the hardships that the pioneers endured while taming the wilderness>

Origin of PIONEER

Middle French pionier, from Old French peonier foot soldier, from peon foot soldier, from Medieval Latin pedon-, pedo — more at pawn

First Known Use: 1523

Related to PIONEER

Synonyms: colonial, colonist, colonizer, homesteader, frontiersman, settler

Related Words: explorer, pathfinder, trailblazer; bushranger, mountain man, woodsman

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Rhymes with PIONEER

Agadir, atmosphere, auctioneer, balladeer, bandolier, bathysphere, bayadere, Bedfordshire, Bedivere, belvedere, bend one's ear, biosphere, bombardier, boutonniere, brigadier, buccaneer, budgeteer, Cambridgeshire, cameleer, cannoneer, canyoneer, cassimere, cavalier, chandelier, chanticleer, chevalier, chiffonier, chocolatier, chromosphere, commandeer, corsetiere, crystal clear, cuirassier, Derbyshire, diapir, disappear, domineer, ecosphere, Elzevir, engineer, exosphere, fallow deer, fictioneer, financier, fiscal year, fourdrinier, fusilier, gadgeteer, gasolier, gazetteer, ginger beer, Gloucestershire, gondolier, grenadier, Guinevere, hemisphere, Hertfordshire, Holy Year, inner ear, insincere, interfere, in the clear, jardiniere, junketeer, kerseymere, landing gear, lavaliere, marketeer, Meyerbeer, middle ear, missileer, mountaineer, muleteer, musketeer, mutineer, on one's ear, outer ear, overhear, overseer, oversteer, Oxfordshire, pamphleteer, persevere, photosphere, pistoleer, privateer, profiteer, puppeteer, racketeer, rocketeer, running gear, scrutineer, sloganeer, sonneteer, souvenir, Staffordshire, steering gear, stratosphere, summiteer, swimmer's ear, thermosphere, troposphere, Tyne and Wear, understeer, vintage year, Vladimir, volunteer, Warwickshire, Windermere, yesteryear