DCHP-2

pathfinder Pathfinder DCHP-2 (July 2016)

• n. — Outdoors

  a member of the Girl Guides of Canada aged 12 to 14.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — In other locations, pathfinder denotes an explorer or trailblazer, while in the Canadian context it may also refer to a member of the Girl Guides of Canada. Although other Guiding and Scouting organizations exist in various countries, the term pathfinder is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1). The rough equivalent in the US Girl Scouts would be the age level Cadettes (ages 11-14). The pathfinder branch of the Girl Guides was initiated in 1979 and originally incorporated girls aged 12 to 15 (see the 1979 quotation).
  See also COD-2, s.v. "pathfinder" (3), which is marked "Cdn", and ITP-Nelson, s.v. "pathfinder" (2), which is described as "of Canada".