I. pi ‧ o ‧ neer 1 /ˌpaɪəˈnɪə $ -ˈnɪr/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: peonier 'soldier' , from peon , from Medieval Latin pedo ; ⇨ ↑ pawn 1 ]
1 . someone who is important in the early development of something, and whose work or ideas are later developed by other people
pioneer of
John Whitney was a pioneer of computer animation.
He was a pioneer in the field of biotechnology.
2 . one of the first people to travel to a new country or area and begin living there, farming etc:
the early pioneers of the Dakota territory
II. pioneer 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to be the first person to do, invent, or use something:
The new cancer treatment was pioneered in the early eighties by Dr Sylvia Bannerjee.