Etymology of Pilot

[Jim Fisher]

I've been reading "The DaVinci Code" (damn good book) and there was a
paragraph about a biblical character named Pilot. That got me curious about
the etymology of the word "Pilot." I wondered if there were some relation
to the title we carry and the bible character. There isn't. But what I did
find was interesting and I thought I'd share:

"PILOT" ETYMOLOGY: Obsolete French, helmsman, from Old French, from Old
Italian "pilota" alteration of "pedota", from Medieval Greek "*pdts", from
Greek "pda", steering oar, pl. of "pdon", blade of an oar.

WORD HISTORY: The pilot of an aircraft speeding through the air and the
pilot of a watercraft plowing through the water both drag an etymological
foot on the ground. Surprisingly enough, considering its modern contexts,
the English word pilot can be traced back to the Indo-European root *ped-,
meaning "foot." From the lengthened-grade suffixed form *pdo- came the Greek
word pdon, "blade of an oar," and in the plural, "steering oar." In Medieval
Greek there is assumed to have existed the derivative *pdts, "steersman,"
which passed into Old Italian and acquired several forms, including pedota,
and pilota, the form that was borrowed into Old French as pilot. English
borrowed the word from French, and as pilot it has moved from the water to
the air, first being recorded in 1848 with reference to an airborne pilot-a
balloonist.

From another source: "Originally "one who steers a ship;" sense extended
1848 to "one who controls a balloon," and 1907 to "one who flies an
airplane."

[Chris Hoffmann]

Jim, I'm fairly sure you aren't referring to "Pilate", but I have to ask...

It does make me wonder what a "Pontias Pilot" would be. Perhaps a pilot with
really clean hands?

[Cub Driver]

"Cockpit" is even more interesting!

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

[Damian]

>Jim, I'm fairly sure you aren't referring to "Pilate", but I have to ask...
>
>It does make me wonder what a "Pontias Pilot" would be. Perhaps a pilot with
>really clean hands?
>
>

Well, military chaplains (at least in the UK) are frequently known as
'Sky Pilots'.

Damian
Paunchy Pilot :-)

[Tom Sixkiller]

"Damian" > wrote in message
...
>
> >Jim, I'm fairly sure you aren't referring to "Pilate", but I have to
ask...
> >
> >It does make me wonder what a "Pontias Pilot" would be. Perhaps a pilot
with
> >really clean hands?
> >
> >
>
> Well, military chaplains (at least in the UK) are frequently known as
> 'Sky Pilots'.
>
pilot [16] Pilot comes ultimately from a Greek word for 'oar,' pedon, which
went back to the same Indo-European base as produced English foot. Its
plural, peda, was used for 'redder,' and from this was derived medieval
Greek pedotes 'rudder, helmsman' This in turn was borrowed into medieval
Latin at pedotu, which was later altered to piloflea - whence, in French,
English pilot. From out of its career in English of course, the word has
been used in connection with the steering of ships, but in the middle of the
19th Century began to be applied to the steering of balloons, and the first
record of its modem use for 'flier of an aeroplane comes from 1907. --
Arcade Dictionary of Word Origins

[Richard Hertz]

Where did you come up with a biblical character named "Pilot?" I assume you
mean Pilate?

He invented pilates, not airplanes.


"Jim Fisher" > wrote in message
...
> I've been reading "The DaVinci Code" (damn good book) and there was a
> paragraph about a biblical character named Pilot. That got me curious
about
> the etymology of the word "Pilot." I wondered if there were some relation
> to the title we carry and the bible character. There isn't. But what I
did
> find was interesting and I thought I'd share:
>
> "PILOT" ETYMOLOGY: Obsolete French, helmsman, from Old French, from Old
> Italian "pilota" alteration of "pedota", from Medieval Greek "*pdts", from
> Greek "pda", steering oar, pl. of "pdon", blade of an oar.
>
> WORD HISTORY: The pilot of an aircraft speeding through the air and the
> pilot of a watercraft plowing through the water both drag an etymological
> foot on the ground. Surprisingly enough, considering its modern contexts,
> the English word pilot can be traced back to the Indo-European root *ped-,
> meaning "foot." From the lengthened-grade suffixed form *pdo- came the
Greek
> word pdon, "blade of an oar," and in the plural, "steering oar." In
Medieval
> Greek there is assumed to have existed the derivative *pdts, "steersman,"
> which passed into Old Italian and acquired several forms, including
pedota,
> and pilota, the form that was borrowed into Old French as pilot. English
> borrowed the word from French, and as pilot it has moved from the water to
> the air, first being recorded in 1848 with reference to an airborne
pilot-a
> balloonist.
>
> From another source: "Originally "one who steers a ship;" sense extended
> 1848 to "one who controls a balloon," and 1907 to "one who flies an
> airplane."
>
>

[Jim Fisher]

"Richard Hertz" > wrote in message
> Where did you come up with a biblical character named "Pilot?" I assume
you
> mean Pilate?

I really have no idea. After posting this, I checked an online Bible and
saw no reference references to a character named Pilot at all. I must have
been reading The DaVinci Code with eyes half closed.

Won't be the last time.

--
Jim Fisher

[Jim Baker]

"Jim Fisher" > wrote in message
...
> I've been reading "The DaVinci Code" (damn good book) and there was a
> paragraph about a biblical character named Pilot. That got me curious
about
> the etymology of the word "Pilot." I wondered if there were some relation
> to the title we carry and the bible character. There isn't. But what I
did
> find was interesting and I thought I'd share:
>
> "PILOT" ETYMOLOGY: Obsolete French, helmsman, from Old French, from Old
> Italian "pilota" alteration of "pedota", from Medieval Greek "*pdts", from
> Greek "pda", steering oar, pl. of "pdon", blade of an oar.
>
> WORD HISTORY: The pilot of an aircraft speeding through the air and the
> pilot of a watercraft plowing through the water both drag an etymological
> foot on the ground. Surprisingly enough, considering its modern contexts,
> the English word pilot can be traced back to the Indo-European root *ped-,
> meaning "foot." From the lengthened-grade suffixed form *pdo- came the
Greek
> word pdon, "blade of an oar," and in the plural, "steering oar." In
Medieval
> Greek there is assumed to have existed the derivative *pdts, "steersman,"
> which passed into Old Italian and acquired several forms, including
pedota,
> and pilota, the form that was borrowed into Old French as pilot. English
> borrowed the word from French, and as pilot it has moved from the water to
> the air, first being recorded in 1848 with reference to an airborne
pilot-a
> balloonist.
>
> From another source: "Originally "one who steers a ship;" sense extended
> 1848 to "one who controls a balloon," and 1907 to "one who flies an
> airplane."
>

I haven't heard such a long winded explanation of such a short word since
Pontias was a pilot.

JB

[Cub Driver]

Jim, you should have left your marker on the table!

I thought you were being funny...

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 20:35:51 -0600, "Jim Fisher"
> wrote:

>
>"Richard Hertz" > wrote in message
>> Where did you come up with a biblical character named "Pilot?" I assume
>you
>> mean Pilate?
>
>I really have no idea. After posting this, I checked an online Bible and
>saw no reference references to a character named Pilot at all. I must have
>been reading The DaVinci Code with eyes half closed.
>
>Won't be the last time.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com