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cockpit

Syllabification: (cock·pit)

Pronunciation: /ˈkäkˌpit/

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Definition of cockpit

noun

1a compartment for the pilot and sometimes also the crew in an aircraft or spacecraft.
a compartment for the driver in a racing car.
a sunken area in the after deck of a boat providing space for members of the crew.

2a place where a battle or other conflict takes place:the cockpit of capitalist conflict in Europe
a place where cockfights are held.

Origin:

late 16th century (cockpit (sense 2)): from cock¹ + pit¹. In the early 18th century the term was in nautical use, denoting an area in the aft lower deck of a man-of-war where the wounded were taken, later coming to mean 'the “pit” or well in a sailing yacht from which it was steered'; hence the place housing the controls of other vehicles (cockpit (sense 1), early 20th century)

cockpit in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of cockpit in the British & World English dictionary

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