cockpit [M16th] At first a cockpit was a place for holding cock fights, so from the beginning the word had connotations of bloodshed and injury. This accounts for it being applied in the late 17th century to the area in the aft lower deck of a man-of-war where wounded sailors were treated during a battle. It then came to be used for the well from which you steer a sailing yacht [M18th]. Finally, in the early 20th century, cockpit acquired its modern meaning, the area or compartment that houses the controls of an aircraft or racing car.