Pilotin

Pilotin is the feminine form of the occupational title pilot in several languages, most notably German. In German, Pilot is masculine and Pilotin is the corresponding feminine form, created by adding the feminine suffix -in. The term refers to a person who operates or navigates an aircraft and may also denote a female maritime pilot in contexts where the term pilot is used for ship navigators. In everyday German, both Pilotin and Pilot are used, with gender-inclusive language often employing both forms together (Pilotinnen und Piloten) to explicitly include all genders.

Etymology: The word pilot derives from the French pilote, from Italian pilota and Latin pilota, historically meaning a navigator or guide. The German Pilotin follows the standard pattern of forming feminine agent nouns by appending -in to the masculine stem.

Usage and style: In German-language media and official documents, Pilotin is a standard way to refer to a female pilot. However, contemporary style guides encourage gender neutrality where appropriate, and sentences may use eine Pilotin but also employ phrases such as Pilotinnen und Piloten to avoid gender bias. In English, pilot is the common, gender-neutral term; pilotin appears mainly in linguistic discussions or as a direct loan.

See also: Pilot, Gender-neutral language, Aviation professions.