leading
EnglishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English lǣdende, from Proto-West Germanic *laidijandī, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to lead”), equivalent to lead + -ing. Compare West Frisian liedend, Dutch leidend, German leitend, Swedish ledande, Icelandic leiðandi.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈliːdɪŋ/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈlidɪŋ/
Audio (GA) (file) - Rhymes: -iːdɪŋ
- Hyphenation: lead‧ing
VerbEdit
leading
- present participle of lead
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- 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.
AdjectiveEdit
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 termsEdit
- (occurring in advance): concurrent, lagging
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
providing guidance
ranking first
preceding
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Etymology 2Edit
From Middle English leding, ledyng, ledinge, ledunge, equivalent to lead + -ing. Cognate with Dutch leiding (“conduit, leading, guidance, leadership”), German Leitung (“line, conduit, cable”).
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈliːdɪŋ/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈlidɪŋ/
Audio (GA) (file) - Rhymes: -iːdɪŋ
- Hyphenation: lead‧ing
NounEdit
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.
- (archaic) Command of an army or military unit.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
- Art thou but Captaine of a thouſand horſe,
That by Characters grauen in thy browes,
And by thy martiall face and ſtout aſpect,
Deſeru’ſt to haue the leading of an hoſte?
Etymology 3Edit
From Middle English leedynge, equivalent to lead (chemical element) + -ing.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈlɛdɪŋ/
- Rhymes: -ɛdɪŋ
- Hyphenation: lead‧ing
NounEdit
leading (uncountable)
- (typography) Vertical space added between lines; line spacing.
TranslationsEdit
Vertical space added between lines
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