leader

leader [lēd′ər]

n.

1. a person or thing that leads; directing, commanding, or guiding head, as of a group or activity

2. a horse harnessed before all others in the same hitch or as one of the two horses in the foremost span

3. a pipe for carrying fluid; specif.,

a) DOWNSPOUT

b) a hot-air duct in a heating system

4. a tendon

5. a section of blank film or recording tape at the beginning of a reel, for use in threading, etc.

☆ 6. a featured article of trade, esp. one offered at an attractively low price: cf. LOSS LEADER

7. Bot. the central or dominant stem of a plant, esp. of a tree

☆ 8. Fishing a short piece of catgut, nylon, etc. used to attach the hook or lure to the fish line

9. Journalism LEADING ARTICLE

10. Music

a) a conductor, esp. of a dance band

b) the main performer in an instrumental or vocal section, generally given the solo passages

11. Naut. FAIR-LEAD

12. [pl.] Printing dots, dashes, etc. in a line, used to direct the eye across the page, as in a table of contents

leaderless

adj.