pioneer

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. forerunner, settler; originator. See precedence.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

Syn. pioneering, initial, untried; see brave 1 , early 1 , experimental .

n.

1. [One who prepares the way]

Syn. pathfinder, scout, explorer; see guide 1 .

2. [One in the vanguard of civilization]

Syn. settler, colonist, pilgrim, immigrant, colonizer, halutz, homesteader, squatter, frontiersman, backwoodsman.

3. [A military engineer]

Syn. fortification engineer, member of demolition squad, bridge builder, road builder, miner, sapper, bridge monkey*, road monkey*; see also engineer 1 .

v.

Syn. discover, explore, found; see colonize , establish 2 , settle 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. frontier person colonist, immigrant, settler, homesteader, squatter, trail-blazer, explorer, forerunner, founder.

2. developer innovator, inventor, father, founder, trailblazer, groundbreaker, trendsetter. ''A nail, driven wherever the country demands.''—Vladimir Jabotinsky.

II

v.

found, trailblaze, invent, father, lead, innovate, break new ground.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun A person instrumental in the growth of something, especially in its early stages: builder, contributor, creator, developer. See MAKE. II adjective Preceding all others in time: earliest, first, initial, maiden, original, primary, prime, primordial. See START.