For your next trivia night ...

On 03/07/2011 07:25, Dave Kearton wrote:




Cheers

Dave Kearton







Bit contentious this.

According to several sources, including the Oxford Dictionary and Dutch
etymologists, 'pilot' is derived from the French 'pilote', from
mediaeval Latin 'pilotus', variation of of pedo(t) ta, from Greek
'pedon', oar, pl. rudder. A pilot is therefore one who steers, Samuel
Langhorne Clemens notwithstanding.

According to Dutch language sites, the 'peil/lood' connection was sought
in the past, but not proven.

The Dutch for the pilot who guides ships is 'loods', i.e. leadsman, the
man with the lead (lood). A flier is a 'piloot'.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but we pedants have to keep busy.
--
Peter