7 letters · 9 points in Scrabble
noun someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art
noun one the first colonists or settlers in a new territory
verb open up an area or prepare a way
originFrom Middle French pionnier (“originally, a foot soldier”), Old French peonier, from peon (“a foot soldier”) (modern French: pion). See pawn (in chess).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0