pioneer
Loading your saved state.
pioneer
A person or thing that, through their work or ideas, creates the foundation for future developments or for the success of others; a pioneer or trailblazer.
Albert Einstein war ein Wegbereiter der modernen Physik.
Albert Einstein was a pioneer of modern physics.
The word consists of 'Weg' (way/path) and the verb 'bereiten' (to prepare). A 'Wegbereiter' is therefore literally someone who prepares or paves the way for others.
Marie Curie war eine Wegbereiterin für Frauen in der Wissenschaft.
Marie Curie was a pioneer for women in science.
'Wegbereiter' (pioneer/trailblazer) is very often used with the preposition 'für' (for) + accusative to indicate what the foundation was created for.
Diese Erfindung war der Wegbereiter für die moderne Kommunikation.
This invention was the pioneer for modern communication.
This word belongs to elevated written language. It is often found in historical, academic, or biographical texts, but rarely in everyday colloquial speech.
In der Biografie wird er als wichtiger Wegbereiter der Demokratiebewegung beschrieben.
In the biography, he is described as an important pioneer of the democracy movement.
precursor
A Vorläufer is an earlier, often simpler form that already resembles the later result. A Wegbereiter, by contrast, creates the foundation for a later development through its work or ideas, without necessarily being an earlier form of that development. So pay attention to similarity or preparation.
Die Forschung der kleinen Gruppe war ein Wegbereiter für die spätere Entwicklung des Smartphones.
The small group's research paved the way for the later development of the smartphone.
Dieses einfache Mobiltelefon war der Vorläufer des heutigen Smartphones.
This simple mobile phone was the precursor to today's smartphone.
