Etymologically
Log in

leader

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:30. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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

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)