lede

See also leđe

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• enPR: lēd, IPA: /liːd/, SAMPA: /li:d/

Etymology 1

From Middle English lede, leode, from Old English lēode (“men, people”), lēod (“man”). More at leod.

Alternative forms

• leode, ledd, leude, lued, lud, lude, led
• leid, leyd, leed (Scotland)

Noun

lede (plural lede)

1. (obsolete or UK dialectal) (singular) A man; person.
2. (UK dialectal, Scotland) (collective plural) Men; people, folk.
3. (UK dialectal, Scotland) (singular) A people or nation.
4. (obsolete or UK dialectal) (plural) Tenements; holdings; possessions.

Derived terms

• ledeless
• ledely
• leden
• ledish

Etymology 2

Mid-20th century neologism from a deliberate misspelling of lead (reverting to its archaic, phonetic spelling – compare Middle English below), intended to avoid confusion with its homograph meaning a strip of type metal used for positioning type in the frame. Compare hed (“headline”).

Alternative forms

• lead

Noun

lede (plural ledes)

1. (US, journalism, jargon) The introductory paragraph(s) of a newspaper or other article. (Usage is “customary in many editorial rooms”.)

Quotations

• For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.

Usage notes

Usage seems mostly confined to the U.S. Originally only journalistic usage that is now so common in general US English that it is no longer labeled as jargon by major US dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster and American Heritage. Noted as “sometimes spelled” in 1959, “often spelled” in 1969, and asserted in the 1979 reprint of a 1974 book (see Citations page). In 1990, William Safire was still able to say that "lede" was jargon not listed in regular dictionaries.

Derived terms

terms derived from lede (noun)

bury the lede lede to kum

nulede

References

• William Safire (1990), "On Language; (HED) Folo My Lede (UNHED)", New York Times, November 18, 1990, Nytimes.com
• WOTD (2000), "The Maven's Word of the Day: lede", November 28, 2000, www.randomhouse.com
• Notes:

Anagrams

• dele
• LEED

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Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA: /leːdə/, [ˈleːðə]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse leiða.

Noun

lede c. (singular definite leden, not used in plural form)

1. disgust, distaste, loathing

Antonyms

• lyst

Etymology 2

See led (“disgusting”).

Adjective

lede

1. definite of led
2. plural of led

Etymology 3

From Old Norse leiða (“to lead”).

Verb

lede (imperative led, present leder, past ledede or ledte, past participle ledet or ledt, present participle ledende)

1. manage, run
2. head, direct
3. lead, guide
4. conduct

Etymology 4

From Old Norse leita (“seek, search”)

Verb

lede (imperative led, infinitive at lede, present tense leder, past tense ledte, past participle har ledt)

1. look
2. search

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eːdə

Verb

lede

1. singular past subjunctive of lijden.

Anagrams

• deel, dele, edel, leed

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Galician

Verb

lede

1. second-person plural imperative of ler

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Italian

Verb

lede

1. third-person singular indicative present of ledere

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Middle English

Noun

lede (plural ledes)

1. Alternative form of leod.

Verb

lede

1. lead

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Norwegian

Verb

lede (present tense leder; past tense leda/ledet; past participle leda/ledet; present participle ledende; imperative led)

1. To lead

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Swedish

Etymology

From the nounal use (masculine inflection) of adjective led (“evil”), in the more original synonym den lede frestaren (“the evil tempter”)

Adjective

lede

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of led.

Noun

den lede c.

1. the evil one, the loathsome or disgusting one; the devil, Satan