pathfinder
[ path-fahyn-der, pahth‐ ]
/ ˈpæθˌfaɪn dər, ˈpɑθ‐ /
noun
a person who finds or makes a path, way, route, etc., especially through a previously unexplored or untraveled wilderness.
an airplane, or a person dropped from a plane, sent into a target area to illuminate the area for succeeding aircraft.
a radar beacon beamed into a target area to provide guidance for missiles seeking the target.
(initial capital letter) an unmanned spacecraft that landed on Mars on July 4, 1997, to obtain climatic and geologic data.
Nearby words
pathergasia, pathergy, pathet lao, pathetic, pathetic fallacy, pathfinder, pathfinder prospectus, pathfinder, the, pathic, pathless, pathname
Related formspath·find·ing, noun, adjective
Definition for pathfinder (2 of 2)
Pathfinder, The
noun
a historical novel (1840) by James Fenimore Cooper.
Compare Leather-Stocking Tales.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pathfinder
British Dictionary definitions for pathfinder
pathfinder
/ (ˈpɑːθˌfaɪndə) /
noun
a person who makes or finds a way, esp through unexplored areas or fields of knowledge
an aircraft or parachutist who indicates a target area by dropping flares, etc
a radar device used for navigation or homing onto a target
Derived Formspathfinding, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for pathfinder
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for pathfinder
pathfinder
[ păth′fīn′dər ]
n.
A filiform bougie for introduction through a narrow stricture as a guide for the passage of a larger instrument.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.