Pioneering

How to spell pioneering

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce pioneering

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pioneering mean?

1. adjectiveBeing the first of its kind; introducing methods or ideas that have never been tried before.
2. verbDeveloping or being among the first to use a new method, idea, or place.

Pioneering in a sentence

• adjective

  Her pioneering research into cancer drugs earned international recognition.

• verb

  The team spent a decade pioneering low-cost solar panels for rural homes.

• adjective

  The company built its reputation on pioneering work in renewable energy.

• verb

  She made her name by pioneering new accounting software for small businesses.

Where does pioneering come from?

Language of origin: French

This word grows out of the noun pioneer, which English borrowed in the 1500s from the French pionnier. In French the word first meant a foot soldier, specifically one of the diggers sent ahead of an army to clear roads, build bridges, and prepare entrenchments. The French term traces back through Old French peonier to the Latin pedem, meaning 'foot', the same root that gives us 'pedestrian' and 'pedal'. Because these soldiers literally went first and opened the way for everyone behind them, the sense drifted from manual military labour to anyone who breaks new ground, and by the 1600s a pioneer could be a settler or an early explorer. The participle 'pioneering' then became an adjective for work that is the first of its kind, while the doubled 'ee' before the final 'r' (a relic of the -eer ending) is the spot that most often trips writers up.

How the word is built

• pion- (from pioneer, originally a foot soldier who went ahead to prepare the way)
• -eer (agent suffix)
• -ing (adjective/gerund suffix)