leading
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English lǣdende, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to lead”), equivalent to lead + -ing. Cognate with German Leitung (“lin, conduit, cable”). More at lead.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈliːdɪŋ/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈlidɪŋ/
Audio (GA): (file) - Rhymes: -iːdɪŋ
- Hyphenation: lead‧ing
Verb
leading
- present participle of lead
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:
- I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.
Adjective
leading (not comparable)
- Providing guidance or direction.
- Avoid leading questions if you really want the truth.
- Ranking first.
- He is a leading supplier of plumbing supplies in the county.
- Occurring in advance; preceding.
Coordinate terms
- (occurring in advance): concurrent, lagging
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Translations
providing guidance
|
preceding
|
Etymology 2
From Middle English leding, ledyng, ledinge, ledunge, equivalent to lead + -ing.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈliːdɪŋ/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈlidɪŋ/
Audio (GA): (file) - Rhymes: -iːdɪŋ
- Hyphenation: lead‧ing
Noun
leading (plural leadings)
- An act by which one is led or guided.
- 1792, William Carey, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the[1]:
- It has been said that we ought not to force our way, but to wait for the openings, and leadings of Providence; but it might with equal propriety be answered in this case, neither ought we to neglect embracing those openings in providence which daily present themselves to us.
- 1892, Walt Whitman, “A Song for Occupations”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], →OCLC, stanza 5, page 175:
- I do not affirm that what you see beyond is futile, I do not advise you to stop, / I do not say leadings you thought great are not great, / But I say that none lead to greater than these lead to.
- 1904, Edward Dowden, Robert Browning[2]:
- In his poetic method each writer followed the leadings of his own genius, without reference to common rules and standards; the individualism of the Revolutionary epoch asserted itself to the full.
Etymology 3
From Middle English leedynge, equivalent to lead (chemical element) + -ing.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈlɛdɪŋ/
- Rhymes: -ɛdɪŋ
- Hyphenation: lead‧ing
Noun
leading (uncountable)
- (typography) Vertical space added between lines; line spacing.
Translations
Vertical space added between lines
|
Further reading
Anagrams
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms suffixed with -ing
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/iːdɪŋ
- English non-lemma forms
- English verb forms
- English terms with quotations
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English uncomparable adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- Rhymes:English/ɛdɪŋ
- English uncountable nouns
- en:Typography