1615: cockpit May 17, 2019

The word 'cockpit' today is most often used in aviation, but—as with many of those terms—the origins are nautical. The cockpit originated as the term for the seat of the coxswain, who commands the rowing and steering. However, more literally, the term has also been used to describe a pit used for cockfighting in middle English. The term, however has been transferred to all sorts of things, including the lower part of the ships too, so there is not as much consistency as one might expect. It was only in the 1930's that first cars (usually in racing) and then planes also had sections referred to as the cockpit. 
Support Word Facts patreon.com/wordfacts