When the term pioneer was first introduced in the English language during the early sixteenth century, it was initially used as a military term for an infantryman assigned to lead the army, clear terrain, and dig trenches. Over time, the modern definition evolved from a seventeenth-century meaning of “explorer” or simply “one who does things first”. The term originates from the French word pionnier, which translates to “foot-soldier”, and can be traced back to the Old French word peon, also giving rise to the English words pawn and peon. The etymology of pioneer can be further traced to the Medieval Latin noun pedonem, which also means “foot-soldier”. The root of pedonem is pes, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root ped, meaning “foot” (this root serves as the basis for many English words such as pajama, pedigree, podium, impede, and pilot).
