Dear Colleagues,
Thinking about the thread on leadership prompted me to do a little
work on the definitions and history of the terms "leader" and
"leadership."
This sheds light on what these words have meant to people, and this
overview helps to illuminate the concepts and constructs we intend
when we employ these words.
Here are the results of a search into the on-line versions of
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (the standard desk dictionary
of most academic publishing firms), the Oxford English Dictionary
(with citations and examples of usage going back to the year 1300).
The search also covers the 1913 edition of Webster's Revised
Unabridged Dictionary provided by the ARTFL project at the University
of Chicago, and the excellent new Wordsmyth Educational
Dictionary-Thesaurus, an on-line project provided by the Wordsmyth
Collaboratory, an outgrowth of ARTFL.
Best regards,
Ken Friedman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management
References
ARTFL Webster's. 1913. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (G &
C. Merriam Co., 1913, edited by Noah Porter). ARTFL (Project for
American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language).
Chicago: Divisions of the Humanities, University of Chicago. URL:
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/forms_unrest/webster.form.html. Date
accessed: 2002 July 8.
Britannica Webster's. 2002. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Online edition. Chicago:
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. URL:
http://www.britannica.com/. Date
accessed: 2002 July 8.
OED. 2002. OED Online. Oxford English Dictionary. Ed. J. A. Simpson
and E. S. C. Weiner. 2nd ed, 1989. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Oxford
University Press. URL:
http://dictionary.oed.com/ Date accessed: 2002
July 8.
Wordsmyth. 2002. The Wordsmyth Educational Dictionary-Thesaurus.
[WEDT]. Robert Parks, ed. Chicago: Wordsmyth Collaboratory. URL:
http://www.wordsmyth.net/. Date accessed: 2002 July 8.
Definitions:
Def leader Main Entry: lead·er Pronunciation: 'lE-d&r Function: noun
Date: 14th century 1 : something that leads: as a : a primary or
terminal shoot of a plant b : TENDON, SINEW c plural : dots or
hyphens (as in an index) used to lead the eye horizontally : ELLIPSIS
2 d chiefly British : a newspaper editorial e (1) : something for
guiding fish into a trap (2) : a short length of material for
attaching the end of a fishing line to a lure or hook f : LOSS LEADER
g : something that ranks first h : a blank section at the beginning
or end of a reel of film or recorded tape 2 : a person who leads: as
a : GUIDE, CONDUCTOR b (1) : a person who directs a military force or
unit (2) : a person who has commanding authority or influence c (1) :
the principal officer of a British political party (2) : a party
member chosen to manage party activities in a legislative body (3) :
such a party member presiding over the whole legislative body when
the party constitutes a majority d (1) : CONDUCTOR c (2) : a first or
principal performer of a group 3 : a horse placed in advance of the
other horses of a team - lead·er·less /-l&s/ adjective (Britannica
Webster's 2002: unpaged).
--
Def leader [OE. ldere, f. ldan LEAD v.1 + -ER1.] I. One who leads. 1.
a. gen. in various senses of the vb.: One who conducts, precedes as a
guide, leads a person by the hand or an animal by a cord, etc. Also
with adverbs, as leader-away, leader-on, for which see the
corresponding verbal phrases. follow my leader: see FOLLOW v. 1c.
a1300 E.E. Psalter liv. 14 Mi leder, and mi kowth sa gode. c1374
CHAUCER Troylus IV. 1454 (1482) Oon thynketh e bere But al a-nother
thynketh his ledere. 1375 BARBOUR Bruce VII. 20 He suld ger Bath the
sleuthhund and the ledar Tyne the sleuth men ger him ta. 1382 WYCLIF
Matt. xv. 14 Thei ben blynde, and lederis of blynde men. 1398 TREVISA
Barth. De P.R. XII. viii. (1495) 418 Curlewes haue guydes and ledars
as cranes haue for they drede the goshawke. c1450 St. Cuthbert
(Surtees) 5675 Withouten ledar nedit he [a man struck blind] To abyde
behynd. 1513 DOUGLAS Æneis I. xi. 5 Blyithlie following his ledair
Achates. 1552 HULOET, Leder awaye, abductor. 1598 SHAKES. Merry W.
III. ii. 3 You were wont to be a follower, but now you are a leader.
1633 FORD Broken H. I. ii, Without Reason, Voycing the Leader-on a
Demi-god. 1667 MILTON P.L. VI. 451 Leader to free Enjoyment of our
right as Gods. 1697 DRYDEN Virg. Georg. III. 526 Ample Plains, Where
oft the Flocks without a Leader stray. 1838 DICKENS Nich. Nick. xiii,
Follow your leader, boys, and take pattern by Smike if you dare. 1861
J. EDMOND Childr. Ch. at Home i. 17 Christ is..a leader to all that
trust him. b. One who has the charge of (animals). 1495 Act 11 Hen.
VII, c. 34 §4 The office of the Maistershippe of the leder of the
Dere of the parke of Okeley. c. The driver of a vehicle (obs.). d.
dial. A carter. a1300 Cursor M. 21283 Bath wise and war es at leder
[sc. of e wain]. 1497 Ld. Treas. Acc. Scot. (1877) I. 355 Item, to
the sand ledaris, xviijs. 1548 in Burgh Rec. Edin. (1871) II. 141
That na maner of persouns ledares of burne tak [etc.]. 1847 Sheffield
Indep. (E.D.D.), A coal leader. 1887 DONALDSON Suppl. to Jamieson
s.v., Until comparatively late years the occupation of water-carrier
was followed by a large number of men and women, some carried by
hand..; some by barrow..; and some by cartthose were the leaders.
1888 Sheffield Gloss., Leader, a carter. 'A coal leader'. 2. One who
leads a body of armed men; a commander, a captain. a1300 Cursor M.
7630 And of a thusand men o wal He made him [David] ledder and
marscal. 1387 TREVISA Higden (Rolls) V. 217 The oost of e Gothes was
i-slawe in Thuscia, and here ledere Ragadasius was i-take. c1400 tr.
Secreta Secret, Gov. Lordsh. 108-9 Off lederes off ostes and here
ordinaunce..Folwe anne vche comandour tene vicaires, & vche vicaire
tene lederes, & vche ledere tene denys. c1470 HENRY Wallace IV. 143
Our leidar is gayne, Amang our fays he is set him allayne. 1591
SHAKES. 1 Hen. VI, I. i. 143 A worthy Leader, wanting ayd, Vnto his
dastard foe-men is betray'd. 1665 MANLEY Grotius' Low C. Warres 715
Sir Horace Vere..performed the duty, both of a good Leader and
Souldier. 1828 SCOTT F.M. Perth xii, All this day..they will gather
to their leader's standard. 1844 H. H. WILSON Brit. India III. 20
Detachments of troops were..sent..to secure the leaders. 3. a. One
who guides others in action or opinion; one who takes the lead in any
business, enterprise, or movement; one who is 'followed' by disciples
or adherents; the chief of a sect or party. In early use occas. a
chieftain, governor. Leader of the House of Commons: the member of
the government who has the official initiative in the proceedings of
the House; (see also quot. 1964); freq. ellipt. as Leader of the
House; so Leader of the House of Lords (or of the Upper House). 1375
BARBOUR Bruce III. 660 Anguss..wes.. lord and ledar off kyntyr. 1495
Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 7 The seid..principall or principallis leder or
leders that unlaufully cause the seid people to gedre or rise. 1532
MORE Confut. Tindale Wks. 515/2 The leaders and maisters of the
christen fayth. 1552 ABP. HAMILTON Catech. (1884) 47 To be ledar
techar & direckar of the same kirk. 1596 DALRYMPLE tr. Leslie's Hist.
Scotl. IX. 213 For his brotheris caus he was cheif leider of the
ring. 1666 TEMPLE Let. to Godolphin Wks. 1713 II. 18 The Duke of
Albuquerque you will find..no great Leader in Council or Business.
1719-20 SWIFT Let. Yng. Clergyman Misc. (1727) I. 361 Demosthenes and
Cicero..each of them a Leader..in a popular State. 1771 Junius Lett.
liv. 286, I am a partizan of the great leader of the opposition. 1828
D'ISRAELI Chas. I, II. xi. 269 A genius so commanding and so
turbulent, was fitted to be the leader of a party. 1835 Ann. Reg.
1834 335/2 It was requisite to find a new chancellor of the
Exchequer, and a new leader of the House of Commons. 1841-4 EMERSON
Ess., Manners Wks. (Bohn) I. 208 If the people should destroy class
after class, until two men only were left, one of these would be the
leader. 1852 DISRAELI Ld. G. Bentinck xx. 397 The government
abandoned this..project..scarcely with decency, for the leader of the
house of lords was eulogizing its virtues..at the moment it was cast
away by the chancellor of the exchequer. 1852 LD. PALMERSTON Let. 24
Dec. in J. Russell Later Corr. (1925) II. xx. 119 If the extensive
duties of Leader of the House of Commons can be performed without
salary why should any public officer have any? 1855 Let. 7 Feb. in
Queen Victoria Lett. (1907) III. xxiv. 131 Proposed cabinet... Organ
of the Government or Leader of the House of Lords. Marquis of
Lansdowne. 1868 C. D. YONGE Life 2nd Earl of Liverpool I. iv. 145
According to the usage of that day, when the Prime Minister was a
Commoner, the Home Secretary, if a peer, was the leader of the Upper
House. 1869 A. TODD On Parl. Govt. in Eng. II. iv. 323 The leader of
the House of Commons is at liberty to arrange the order of business
appointed for government nights as he thinks fit. 1874 GREEN Short
Hist. viii. §5. 500 The leaders in the country party..were thrown
into prison. 1883 FROUDE Short Stud. IV. II. ii. 187 Circumstances
independent of himself could alone have raised him into a leader of a
party. 1908 A. E. STEINTHAL tr. Redlich's Procedure House of Commons
I. 120 The name and function of the chief member of the Government in
the House of Commons, the Leader of the House. 1964 ABRAHAM & HAWTREY
Parl. Dict. (ed. 2) 111 The term 'Leader of the House' was originally
applied to the chief spokesman for the Government in the House of
Commons when the Prime Minister was a member of the House of Lords.
Ibid., The Leader of the House receives no salary as such... His
chief responsibility is for planning and supervising the Government's
legislative programme, and in particular for the arrangement..of the
business of the House. Ibid. 112 The Leader of the House of Lords is
the chief spokesman for the Government in that House. 1974 Guardian
30 Apr. 1/4 A statement from Mr Short, Leader of the House, on the
registration of interests is promised later this week, but there are
deep differences between the parties over whether the register should
be compulsory or voluntary. Ibid., A promised personal statement by
Mr Short, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the House
of Commons, was delayed by several hours last night. b. Phrases.
leader of laws: one who has power in the state, a ruler. leader of
hail: a guide to salvation. Obs. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1307
He..hatz..e lederes of her lawe layd to e grounde. c1375 Sc. Leg.
Saints i. (Petrus) 674 And u [Paul] dere brothir, far wele ay lledar
of heile and saweoure. c1440 York Myst. xxx. 55 O leder of lawis.
a1605 MONTGOMERIE Sonn. xxi. 1 My lords, late lads, nou leidars of
our lauis. c. A counsel who 'leads' (see LEAD v.1 16) in the conduct
of a case before the court; a barrister whose status (in England,
that of a King's Counsel) entitles him to 'lead'. Also, the senior
counsel of a circuit. 1856 WILKIE COLLINS A Rogue's Life v, He had
engaged the leader of the circuit to defend me. 1878 BALL Student's
Guide to Bar 44 At the trial itself he will generally have a 'leader'
on whom the conduct of the case will wholly depend. 1883 J. H. SLATER
Guide Legal Prof. 17 Queen's Counsel are usually termed 'Leaders',
and they sit in front of the utter Barristers, whom they are said to
'lead' in any particular case in which both are engaged. d. The
foremost or most eminent member (of a profession); also, in wider
sense, a person of eminent position and influence. 1858 O. W. HOLMES
Aut. Breakf.-t. v. (1859) 115 Judges, mayors..leaders in
science..were represented in that meeting. 1884 Illustr. Lond. News 1
Nov. 410/3 Here is Mr. F. Archer, the leader of his profession. e.
spec. as a rendering of G. Führer, It. Duce, or Sp. Caudillo: the
head of an authoritarian state. Usu. with capital initial. Also
transf. (in quot. 1934 applied to the leader of the British Fascists,
Sir Oswald Mosley). 1918 [see CAUDILLO]. 1934 H. G. WELLS Exper.
Autobiogr. II. ix. 783 Quite a quantity of pleasant boys and nice
young men.. were acting as ushers, selling idiotic songs about their
glorious Leader. 1937 A. HUXLEY Ends & Means i. 2 The twentieth
[century] has already witnessed..the emergence of the sheep-like
social man and the god-like Leader. 1939 S. SPENDER tr. Toller's
Pastor Hall I. 48 I've never spoken a word against the Leader. 1952
A. BULLOCK Hitler iii. 123 There was persistent..grumbling at the
amount of money the Leader and his friends took out of Party funds
for their own expenses. 1960 H. SETON-WATSON Neither War nor Peace
viii. 226 The head of the government was the Chancellor, Adolf
Hitler, who was also Leader (Führer) of the party, and on the death
of President Hindenburg in 1934 replaced him as Head of State with
the title of Leader of the German Nation. 4. One who leads a choir or
band of dancers, musicians, or singers. leader of praise (Sc.) =
PRECENTOR. 1530 PALSGR. 238/1 Leeder of a daunce, auant dancevr. 1599
SHAKES. Much Ado II. i. 157 We must follow the Leaders. 1811 BUSBY
Dict. Mus. (ed. 3), Leader, a performer who in a concert takes the
principal violin, receives the time and style of the movements from
the conductor, and communicates them to the rest of the band. 1859
JEPHSON Brittany xvi. 269 The leader, as in our village churches, was
evidently a person of immense importance. 1892 Glasgow Herald 22 Apr.
2/2 Leader of Praise Wanted. 1900 Blackw. Mag. July 51/1 The leader
trills ahead in runs and shakes up and down the scale. 5. Among
Methodists, the presiding member of a 'class' (see CLASS n. 7b).
Usually class-leader. 1743 WESLEY Nat. United Societies Wks. 1872
VIII. 270 There are about twelve persons in every class; one of whom
is styled the Leader. 1791 [see CLASS n. 7b]. 6. a. The first man in
a file, one in the front rank, one of the foremost in a moving body.
In Surveying, the foremost carrier of the chain. 1604 EDMONDS Observ.
Cæsar's Comm. 130 Euery one is especially to acknowledge his leader
or foremost man to be the author of all his motions. 1616-1809 [see
file-leader s.v. FILE n.2 11]. 1622 PEACHAM Compl. Gent. (1634) 240
The men in the File are to be distinguished by the names of Leaders,
Bringers up and Middle-men. 1857 HUGHES Tom Brown I. vii, The leaders
are busy making casts into the fields on the left and right. 1860
TYNDALL Glac. I. xxv. 188 Another person was sent forward, who drew
himself up by the rope which was attached to the leader. b. One of
the front horses in a team, or the front horse in a tandem. a1700 B.
E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Leaders..the Fore-horses in Coaches and Teams.
1784 COWPER Tiroc. 254 With pack-horse constancy we keep the
road..True to the jingling of our leader's bells. 1825 HONE Every-day
Bk. I. 1191 He was a capital horse, the off-leader. 1859 DICKENS T.
Two Cities I. ii, The near leader violently shook his head. 1886
RUSKIN Præterita I. vi. 182 If the horses were young..there was a
postillion for the leaders also. 7. a. Cards. The first player in a
round; also, one who 'leads' from a particular suit. 1677 MIEGE
Eng.-Fr. Dict. s.v., A leader, in Cards, celui que joue le premier.
1742 HOYLE Whist (1763) 45 If the Leader of that Suit or his Partner
have the long Trump. 1876 A. CAMPBELL-WALKER Correct Card Gloss.
(1880) 12 Leader, the first to play each round. b. Curling. The first
player: cf. LEAD n.2 5a. 1789 D. DAVIDSON Seasons 166 Next Robin o'
Mains, a leader good, Close to the witter drew. II. A thing which
leads. 8. a. gen. b. colloq. A remark or question intended to lead
conversation (cf. FEELER 4b). c. Comm. (orig. U.S.) = LEADING ARTICLE
2; cf. loss leader s.v. LOSS n.1 10. c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 33/124 e
steorre gan softe to glide forth, also it were ene way to teche... e
Abbot Anourede his ledare. c1450 tr. De Imitatione III. lxi. 143 e
crosse is e lif of a gode monke, & e leder to paradise. 1581
MULCASTER Positions Ep. Ded. (1887) 4 It is an argument which craueth
consideration, bycause it is the leader to a further consequence.
1851 C. CIST Sk. Cincinnati in 1851 xv. 319 These articles [sc.
sugar, molasses, coffee, etc.] are the leaders, as they are called,
in commercial transactions, with the west. 1882 MRS. J. H. RIDDELL
Pr. Wales's Garden-Party 34 'And what did you make of them over the
dish of tea?' suggested the young man as a leader. 1888 Chicago
Tribune 29 Apr. 4/7 Goods advertised and sold below cost are
technically known as 'leaders'. 1889 Pop. Sci. Monthly XXXIV. 622 A
new rival may inflict severe loss..through cutting the price of a
staple below cost, and making it what is called a 'leader'. 1895
Critic 6 Apr. 263/1 In several Sixth Avenue houses, new books by
popular writers have long been used as 'leaders'the technical name, I
believe, for goods sold at little or no profit, sometimes even at a
loss, for the sake of drawing customers, with a view of getting them
to buy other wares as well. 1963 'R. FINDLATER' What are Writers
Worth? 14 Most [paperback] firms produce about a dozen titles every
month..at the summit the 'leader'the smash-hit novel on which the
selling machine is focused. 1967 Times Rev. Industry Feb. 31/1
Establishing new products is both costly and hazardous..while old
leaders tend to decline over the years. 1972 Lebende Sprachen XVII.
34/1 US leaderBE/US loss leader, BE leading article. 9. In a tree or
shrub: The shoot which grows at the apex of the stem, or of a
principal branch; also, a bine. 1572 L. MASCALL Plant. & Graff.
(1592) 75 Ye shall neuer leaue aboue two or three leaders at the head
of any principall branch. 1822 LOUDON Encycl. Gardening 808 Retain a
competent supply of side-shoots, with a good leader to each
mother-branch. 1880 JEFFERIES Gt. Estate 89 The leaders of the black
bryony..twist around each other. 1892 Gardeners' Chron. 27 Aug. 242/1
The trees are allowed to waste their energies in the formation of a
plurality of leaders at the top. 10. A tendon. (Cf. guide, guider.)
1708 J. C. Compl. Collier (1845) 23 Cutting their Leaders and Nerves.
1737 BRACKEN Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 22 What the common People call
Leaders or Sinews. 1854 OWEN Skel. & Teeth (1855) 3 The leaders of
the leg-muscles in the turkey. 1891 Daily News 4 Sept. 3/7 In his
second performance he severed one of the leaders of his thigh. 11. a.
In agricultural drainage: A main drain. b. A tributary. 1844 Jrnl. R.
Agric. Soc. V. I. 9 One of the drains that enter the leader. 1853 G.
JOHNSTON Nat. Hist. E. Bord. I. 15 The leaders to these burns are, in
some places, called sykes. 12. = LEADING ARTICLE 1. 1837 Southern
Lit. Messenger III. 418/2 The Editor thus commenceth his leader. 1838
DICKENS Let. 23 Dec. (1965) I. 475, I was very much obliged indeed to
you for the paper. I..was greatly amused with the 'leader'. 1844
DISRAELI Coningsby II. vi, Give me a man who can write a leader. 1847
R. P. MILNES in T. W. Reid Life Ld. Houghton (1891) I. ix. 401 You
can get..a file of the Times, the commercial leaders of which you
should get up. 1862 SHIRLEY Nugæ Crit. xi. 482 He thought a page of
Clarendon as pleasant historical reading as a leader in the Times.
1892 B. MATTHEWS Americanisms & Brit. 22 An American..calls that an
'editorial' which the Englishman calls a 'leader'. 13. Mining. a. A
drain or stream that by its colour indicates the presence of
minerals. b. (See quot. 1846.) c. A small and insignificant vein,
which leads to or indicates the proximity of a larger and better.
1809 A. HENRY Trav. 231 A green-coloured water, which tinged iron of
a copper-colour, issued from the hill; and this the miners called a
leader. 1846 BROCKETT N.C. Words, Leader, a small band of coal
connecting the portions of a coal-seam detached by a dyke, and
following which, leads the miner to the seam again. 1855 Cornwall 95
Frequently the prevailing mineral runs continuously through the lode
for considerable lengths and depths, forming what is called the
leader. 1880 C. C. ADLEY Rep. Pioneer Mining Co. 2 Oct. 1 Two strong
veins or leaders carrying copper ore have been crossed. 1890
Goldfields Victoria 16 The prospects of the mine have improved, two
auriferous leaders having been cut. 1900 Daily News 19 June 3/2 One
or two tunnels had been drawn..on small leaders and..diamonds had
been discovered. 14. Fireworks and Gunnery. A quick match enclosed in
a paper tube for the purpose of conveying fire rapidly. Also attrib.,
as leader pipe (see quot.). 1859 F. A. GRIFFITHS Artil. Man. (1862)
60 Lay a leader of quick match along the bore. Ibid. 282. 1878
KENTISH Pyrotechn. Treas. 103 Leader Pipes. These are for piping
quickmatch. 15. Fishing. (U.S.) a. The end portion of a reel-line,
consisting of gut, and having the snells of the fly-hooks attached to
it; a casting-line. 1859 BARTLETT Dict. Amer., Leader, a length of
finely twisted hair, gut, or grass, for attaching an angler's hook to
the line; a bottom. Called also a Snell. 1885 Harper's Mag. Apr.
777/1 The flies are attached to a leader, or, as our English brethren
term it, a casting-line. b. 'A net so placed as to intercept fish and
lead them into a pound, weir, trap-net, etc.' (Knight Dict. Mech.
Suppl. 1884). 16. Machinery. a. (See quots.) 1805 BREWSTER in
Ferguson's Lect. I. 82 note, In a combination of wheels that which is
acted upon by the power, or by some other wheel is called a leader.
1825 J. NICHOLSON Operat. Mechanic 21 When speaking of the action of
wheel-work in general, the wheel which acts as a mover is called the
leader, and the one upon which it acts the follower. 1895 Mod. Steam
Engine 58 The wheels of a locomotive are called1st, leaders or
leading-wheels. b. U.S. = leading block. c. 'A principal furrow
leading from the eye to the skirt of a mill-stone' (1875 Knight Dict.
Mech. s.v. Millstone). d. 'One of the long vertical timbers guiding
the ram of a pile-driver car' (Funk's Stand. Dict.). 17. Printing. A
line of dots or dashes to guide the eye in letterpress. 1824 J.
JOHNSON Typogr. II. iii. 59 Full points are sometimes used as leaders
in tables of contents. 1871 Amer. Encycl. Printing (ed. Ringwalt),
Leaders (.... or ---), these consist of two or three dots, similar to
full points, cast on one type, to the em body; there are also two or
three em leaders, the number of dots being multiplied according to
their length. Hyphen-faced leaders are also made (----). 18. Sc. and
U.S. A pipe to conduct water. 1875 in Knight Dict. Mech. 1890 LOWSON
Guidfollow xix. 161 The name 'Spout' was derived from a spout,
stroupe, or leader, that was inserted into the bank..leading the
water which ran [etc.]. 19. U.S. A guiding ring in an animal's nose.
(Cent. Dict.) 20. Cinemat. and Tape Recording. A short length of
blank or uncoated film or tape attached at the beginning or end of a
reel for purposes of threading or identification. 1917 C. N. BENNETT
Guide to Kinematogr. xi. 185 Refrain from..cutting or punching holes
in the film leaders. 1960 J. M. LLOYD All-in-One Tape Recorder Bk.
(ed. 4) v. 63 The inside and outside leaders are usually of different
colours. 1969 J. ELLIOT Duel III. ii. 233 She went to..learn the
mysteries of..opticals and leaders and parallel and printing sync.
1969 D. N. WOOD On Tape vii. 82 This brings me to the other main use
of the leader tapeto act as a title... It is possible to use a
chinagraph pencil on the tape itself, but it is much better to use
leaders for this purpose. 21. Meteorol. In full, leader stroke. A
preliminary stroke of lightning that ionizes the path taken by the
much brighter return stroke that follows. 1934 SCHONLAND & COLLENS in
Proc. R. Soc. A. CXLIII. 657 These preliminary downward strokes will
be referred to as leader strokes and the upward strokes which follow
them will be called main strokes. Ibid., Sometimes the leader is so
faint that a portion only of the track can be seen. 1937 Jrnl. Inst.
Electr. Engin. LXXXI. 6/2 Immediately the stepped leader stroke
reaches the earth the..return stroke begins to travel..from earth to
cloud. Ibid., The leaders to the second and subsequent strokes of a
flash usually travel from cloud to ground in a single flight. 1963
Meteorol. Gloss. (Meteorol. Office) (ed. 4) 154 Leader strokes
directed upwards from ground to cloud may predominate in the case of
very high structures. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. VII.
510/1 Cloud-to-cloud strokes also involve a step leader and main
return stroke. 22. attrib. and Comb., as (sense 3e) leader-principle,
-worship; (sense 6b) leader-mule; (sense 12) leader-column, -note,
-page, -writer. leader board orig. U.S., a score-board, esp. at a
golf-course, on which the names, etc., of the leading competitors are
displayed; leader stroke (see sense 21); leader tape, uncoated tape
intended for use as a leader on a reel of magnetic tape; a length of
tape so used. 1970 Golf Digest Aug. 40/3 Last year there were not
enough *leader boards and scoreboards at the PGA. 1986 Sunday Express
Mag. 9 Nov. 79/1 The maverick of the golf course. That phrase summed
up Severiano Ballesteros when he first appeared on the leader boards.
-- 1897 Daily News 3 June 5/4 The problem set in our *leader columns
the other day. -- 1890 L. D'OYLE Notches 108 Not forgetting..to
bestow an occasional cut upon the *leader-mules. -- 1932 J. BUCHAN
Gap in Curtain i. 54 Each of us must concentrate on one particular
part to which his special interest was pledgedTavanger on the first
City page, for example, Mayot on the *leader page, [etc.]. 1938
Observer 9 Jan. 5/1 (Advt.), Eugene Lyons..Assignment in Utopia..'A
moving and truthful account...'Malcolm Muggeridge (D. Telegraph,
leader-page article). 1940 'G. ORWELL' Crit. Ess. (1951) 80 The
absence of the *leader-principle. There is no central dominating
character. 1960 J. M. LLOYD All-in-One Tape Recorder Bk. (ed. 4) v.
64 *Leader tape is transparent and is shiny on both sides. 1962 A.
NISBETT Technique Sound Studio vi. 107 A leader tape (giving
summarized details of the contents) and a trailer (several feet of
coloured tape to give a visual indication of the end) may be cut on
to the recording. 1971 Hi-Fi Sound Feb. 42 (Advt.), We also carry a
full range of Accessories, Leader Tape, Empty Spools, Splicing Tape
etc. -- 1940 'G. ORWELL' Crit. Ess. (1951) 83 More bloodshed, more
*leader-worship. -- 1882 C. PEBODY Eng. Journalism xix. 144 It is as
a *leader-writer and special correspondent that he will be best
remembered. 1888 BESANT Inner House 3 No news came. This was
especially hard on the leader-writers. 1940 Manch. Guardian Weekly 22
Mar. 228 But now it is stated in Berlin that Mr. Kuusinen 'has been
promoted to be a leader-writer on an obscure provincial paper'. --
(OED Online 2002: unpaged).
--
Def Leader Lead"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, leads or
conducts; a guide; a conductor. Especially: (a) One who goes first.
(b) One having authority to direct; a chief; a commander. (c) (Mus.)
A performer who leads a band or choir in music; also, in an
orchestra, the principal violinist; the one who plays at the head of
the first violins. (d) (Naut.) A block of hard wood pierced with
suitable holes for leading ropes in their proper places. (e) (Mach.)
The principal wheel in any kind of machinery. [Obs. or R.] G.
Francis. (f) A horse placed in advance of others; one of the forward
pair of horses. He forgot to pull in his leaders, and they gallop
away with him at times. Hare. (g) A pipe for conducting rain water
from a roof to a cistern or to the ground; a conductor. (h) (Fishing)
A net for leading fish into a pound, weir, etc. ; also, a line of
gut, to which the snell of a fly hook is attached. (i) (Mining) A
branch or small vein, not important in itself, but indicating the
proximity of a better one. 2. The first, or the principal, editorial
article in a newspaper; a leading or main editorial article. 3.
(Print.) (a) A type having a dot or short row of dots upon its face.
(b) pl. a row of dots, periods, or hyphens, used in tables of
contents, etc., to lead the eye across a space to the right word or
number. Syn. -- chief; chieftain; commander. See Chief. (ARTFL
Webster's 1913: 837)
--
Def leader Syllables: lead-er Part of Speech noun Pronunciation li
dEr Definition 1. one that leads. Synonyms chief , ringleader , head
(3) , commander (1) Crossref. Syn. pilot , captain , bellwether ,
guide Similar Words foreman , principal , doyen , suzerain ,
paramount , chieftain , supervisor , doyenne , overlord , master ,
conductor , kingpin , honcho , president , boss1 , lord , manager ,
superintendent , director , headman , warlord , ruler Definition 2.
the head of a political party, group, or organization. Synonyms head
(3) , boss1 (2) Crossref. Syn. chief , boss Similar Words chief ,
director , president Definition 3. the conductor or principal
performer in a musical group. Synonyms maestro (1) , conductor (1) ,
bandmaster , director (3) Similar Words precentor , star , lead1 ,
concertmaster , drum major Definition 4. a separate length of fishing
line to which a lure is attached. Similar Words line1 Related Words
man , father , favorite , top , marshal , king , pioneer , overseer ,
mentor Derived Forms leaderless, adj. (Wordsmyth 2002: unpaged).
Definitions of leadership
--
Def leadership Main Entry: lead·er·ship Pronunciation: 'lE-d&r-"ship
Function: noun Date: 1821 1 : the office or position of a leader 2 :
capacity to lead 3 : the act or an instance of leading 4 : LEADERS
(Britannica Webster's 2002: unpaged).
--
Def leadership [f. LEADER1 + -SHIP.] The dignity, office, or position
of a leader, esp. of a political party; ability to lead; the position
of a group of people leading or influencing others within a given
context; the group itself; the action or influence necessary for the
direction or organization of effort in a group undertaking. Also
attrib., as leadership behaviour, school, skill. 1821 C. W. WYNN Let.
11 Mar. in Corr. (1920) 268 Charles writes that Tierney has regularly
resigned the Leadership of the Opposition. 1834 FONBLANQUE Eng. under
7 Administr. (1887) III. 130 Is the leadership of the House to be
conservatively settled by placing the minority in office? 1856 E. A.
BOND Russia close 16th C. (Hakl. Soc.) Introd. 29 An invasion of the
Crim Tartars..under the leadership of their khan. a1859 MACAULAY
Hist. Eng. xxiv. (1861) V. 165 That high position which has now been
long called the Leadership of the House of Commons. 1870 Pall Mall G.
26 Aug. 1 Nothing is wanted but military leadership and military
means. 1885 Law Times LXXIX. 351/2 The leadership of a great circuit.
1915 E. & C. PAUL tr. Michels's Pol. Parties IV. ii. 261 (heading)
Analysis of the bourgeois elements in the socialist leadership. 1930
O. OESER tr. Bühler's Mental Devel. Child vii. 166 From the
schoolgoing age onwards we find that some have the talent for
leadership. 1933 M. S. VITELES Industr. Psychol. xxvii. 626 The
substitution of morale for discipline and of integration for
domination calls for a change in the quality of leadership in
industry. 1939 J. D. BROWN in C. I. Barnard Dilemmas of Leadership 3
To treat the difficult problem of executive leadership. 1939 C. I.
BARNARD Ibid. 24 If a system once accepted..destroys leadership or
divides followersthen disorganization, schism, rebellion..ensues.
1947 SHERIF & CANTRIL Psychol. of Ego-Involvements vii. 182
Leadership, then, was seen to be a function of the group and its
activities. 1962 K. ORVIS Damned & Destroyed xiv. 95 He went to a
communist leadership school. 1963 J. E. GERALD Social Responsibility
of Press v. 100 Few of the editors of mass-circulation newspapers
since 1830 have risked their careers to exert strong leadership in
the community. 1964 GOULD & KOLB Dict. Social Sci. 380/2 The
manifestation of leadership behaviour can be observed only in
relation to other persons who act in response to the leader and who
are collectively referred to as the following. 1964 MRS. L. B.
JOHNSON White House Diary 16 Jan. (1970) 51 We had an early dinner
this evening..for the heads of the Senate Committees..and the
Leadership on both sides and their wives. 1964 English Studies XLV.
50 Administrative and leadership skill. 1972 Jrnl. Social Psychol.
LXXXVI. 29 Investigations of the relationship between personality
traits and leadership behavior have failed to reveal any consistent
patterns. 1973 M. TRUMAN Harry S. Truman xv. 306 Dad once defined
leadership as the art of persuading people to do what they should
have done in the first place. (OED Online 2002: unpaged).
--
Def Leadership Lead"er*ship (?), n. The office of a leader.
(ARTFL Webster's 1913: 837)
--
Def leadership Browse the words alphabetically around "leadership"
See entries that contain "leadership" Syllables: lead-er-ship Part of
Speech noun Pronunciation li dEr shIp Definition 1. the ability or
quality that makes one a leader. Definition 2. the role performed by
a leader. Crossref. Syn. command Definition 3. the leaders of a group
considered collectively. Crossref. Syn. administration Related Words
administration , initiative , conduct (Wordsmyth 2002: unpaged).