pionnier

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French

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Etymology

From Old French peonier (“infantryman”), from peon (“footman”) (modern French pion), from Latin pedōnem.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pjɔ.nje/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

pionnier m (plural pionniers, feminine pionnière)

  1. (military) pioneer, soldier employed to form roads, dig trenches, and make bridges, as an army advances
    • 1919, Roland Dorgelès, Croix de bois:
      Toute la tranchée connaît à présent la nouvelle (...). Il paraît que les pionniers vont venir cette nuit, pour préparer les escaliers d’attaque. On doit installer des petits canons de 37 et des lance-bombes.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  2. pioneer, one who goes before, as into the wilderness, preparing the way for others to follow
    • 1850, Jules Michelet, Journal:
    Originalité d'un métier où l'on s'établit où l'on veut, comme on veut, dans la solitude, avec la liberté du pionnier américain.
  3. precursor
    Les pionniers de la civilisation.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  4. (communism) pioneer, child of 10–16 years in the former Soviet Union, in the second of the three stages in becoming a member of the Communist Party
    • 1936, André Gide, Retour de l'U.R.S.S.:
    Ce même camp d'Artek, paradis pour enfants modèles (...) ce qui fait que je lui préfère de beaucoup d'autres camps de pionniers, plus modestes.

Synonyms

Adjective

pionnier (feminine pionnière, masculine plural pionniers, feminine plural pionnières)

  1. pioneering, avant-garde
    un esprit pionnier ― a pioneering spirit
    The Shadows est un groupe pionnier du rock britannique.
    The Shadows were a pioneering British rock group.
  2. first to colonize
    La végétation pionnière est le premier type de végétation colonisant un milieu.
    Pioneer vegetation is the first type of vegetation to colonize an environment.

Descendants

Des pionniers kazakhs.

The French word was borrowed in Russian, пионер (pioner), which in turn, through the influence of the Communist superpower, was widely adopted throughout Europe in the sense of young pioneer; the list below traces both direct (from French) and indirect (via Russian) borrowings.

Further reading

Middle French

Etymology

Old French peonier.

Noun

pionnier m (plural pionniers)

  1. infantryman
    • 1581, Henri Lancelot-Voisin de La Popelinière, L'Histoire de France, enrichie des plus notables occurrences survenues ez provinces de l'Europe et pays voisins... depuis l'an 1550 jusques à ces temps, page 235:
      Il s'estoit rompu une cheville du pied […] on luy envoia un pionnier pour le secourir.
      He broke an ankle they sent him an infantryman to secure him.
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