Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Cockpit \Cock"pit`\, n.
   In some a["e]roplanes and flying machines, an inclosure for
   the pilot or a passenger.

Cockpit \Cock"pit`\ (k[o^]k"p[i^]t), n.
   1. A pit, or inclosed area, for cockfights.

            Henry the Eighth had built . . . a cockpit.
                                                  --Macaulay.

   2. The Privy Council room at Westminster; -- so called
      because built on the site of the cockpit of Whitehall
      palace. --Brande & C.

   3. (Naut.)
      (a) That part of a war vessel appropriated to the wounded
          during an engagement.
      (b) In yachts and other small vessels, a space lower than
          the rest of the deck, which affords easy access to the
          cabin.

Source : WordNet®

cockpit
     n 1: compartment where the pilot sits while flying the aircraft
     2: an enclosure for cockfights
     3: seat where the driver sits while driving a racing car