Unpiloted

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An aircraft or vehicle that operates autonomously without a human pilot physically present to control its actions
2. A mode of transportation functioning independently without any human operator present to steer or make decisions
3. Functioning in flight or movement without a person actively controlling it from on board

Etymology: "Unpiloted" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-", meaning "not," attached to "piloted," the past participle of "pilot." The prefix has been part of English since Old English, descending from Proto-Germanic "un-" and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European negative "*n̥-", which is why it appears in so many everyday words such as "unhappy" and "unknown." The base "piloted" comes from "pilot," which traces back through French and Latin to the Greek "pēdon," meaning "oar" or "steering oar," and the sense of guiding a vessel carried over to guiding aircraft and, later, other vehicles. Adding "un-" to the participle gives the sense of a craft or vehicle that is moving without a person steering it from inside.

Synonyms: autonomous, unmanned, robotic

Antonyms: manned, piloted