Why is the cockpit of an airplane called the 'cockpit'?

In the early 18th century the term was in nautical use. The term cockpit denoted an area in the aft lower deck of a man-of-war where the wounded were taken, later coming to mean the pit or well in a sailing ship from which it was steered. It became a term meaning the place housing the controls of other vehiclesincluding airplanes.