Definition of "pioneer" []

• One who ventures into unknown or unclaimed territory to settle. (noun)
• One who opens up new areas of thought, research, or development: a pioneer in aviation. (noun)
• A soldier who performs construction and demolition work in the field to facilitate troop movements. (noun)
• Ecology An animal or plant species that establishes itself in a previously barren environment. (noun)
• Of, relating to, or characteristic of early settlers: the pioneer spirit. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term "pioneer" is often thrown around, but it is certainly applicable to Mr. Wheeler."
• "The title pioneer is usually reserved for members of the heavily armed column of 450 men recruited from South Africa and"
• "Vermeer was a pioneer is the use of optical tools such as the camera obscura."