where does the word cockpit come from

[maxwellsmart]

where does the word cockpit come from as in **** pit in an airplane

[Clanad]

The origin of Cockpit" is pretty straightforward. The first "cockpits" were actual pits in the ground constructed (to the extent that one "constructs" a pit) to house "cockfights" to the death between game ***** (essentially very belligerent chickens). Cockfighting, a barbaric "sport" usually conducted for gambling purposes, probably originated in ancient China and remains popular around the world.

As a name for the scene of such grisly matches, "cockpit" showed up in English in the 16th century. By the 1700's, "cockpit" was being used as a metaphor for any scene of combat, especially areas (such as parts of Belgium and France) known as traditional battlefields. "Cockpit" was then adopted by pilots in World War I, who applied it to the cramped operating quarters of their fighter planes. Our modern sense of cockpit includes the entire crew areas of large airliners, which are usually fairly spacious and not, one hopes, the scene of conflict.

[Kay]

Maxwell,you are a star! Our family have often debated this and laughed at my suggestion that the word cockpit is derived from **** fighting pits. Even my oldest son who piloted a small private plane for 2 years did'nt agree with me.Now I can show them your reply, YAY.

[Kay]

So Sorry,I meant Clanad.