leader

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈliː.də/, US /ˈliː.dɚ/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English leder,^[2] inherited from Old English lǣdere (“one who leads, one first or most prominent”),^[3] an agent noun from lǣdan (“to guide, conduct”), the source of the verb lead.^[3][4] Its cognates include Old Frisian ledera, Dutch leider, Old High German leitari and German Leiter.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old English lǣdere, “one who leads”;^[3] in Middle English, a person who conducts or guides others, and a leader of armed men, a commander, are found before 1300.^[5]

Semantic evolution

A person who guides others in action or opinion is from 1375.^[5] In dialect a leader was also a carter.^[5] Johnson (1755) gave “one that leads” and “captain, commander”.^[6] A writing meant to begin a discussion is from the late 13th century;^[3] in modern use the newspaper sense is often short for leading article (1807), an opinion piece in a British paper, and leader in this sense is attested from 1837.^[3] The leading counsel in a case is from 1856,^[5] and the most eminent member of a profession from 1858.^[5] As a title for the head of an authoritarian state, translating Führer, Duce or caudillo, it is from 1918.^[3] The golf leader board is so called from 1970.^[3]

Timeline

• Old English – lǣdere, one who leads.^[3]
• before 1300 – a commander.^[5]
• 1375 – one who guides others in action or opinion.^[5]
• 1807 – leading article.^[3]
• 1837 – a newspaper leader.^[3]
• 1918 – head of an authoritarian state.^[3]
• 1970 – leader board.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who leads or commands a group, organization or country.
2. A person or thing that is ahead of others, as in a race or a market.
3. The conductor or principal player of a band or orchestra.
4. (British) An editorial in a newspaper.
5. A length of line or film at the start of a reel; a short line attaching a fishhook.
6. A row of dots or dashes guiding the eye across a page, as in an index.

Word family

• leaderless
• bandleader
• leaderboard
• leadership
• cheerleader
• ringleader
• subleader
• bear leader

Related words

• lead
• load

Usage notes

A separate leader, from about 1440, meant a plumber, a worker in lead.^[5] In curling, the leader is the first player to throw a stone.^[7]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)