Fugleman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who leads or directs others, particularly in a military or ceremonial context
2. Someone who acts as a guide or model for a group, often in marching or fighting
3. An individual who serves as a front figure or pace-setter in a procession or combat

Etymology: The word arrived in English from German, where "Flügelmann" was a military term for the soldier at the end of a drilled line of troops, the man whose position everyone else followed when marching. It is built from "Flügel", meaning a wing or, in the drill sense, a file of soldiers, and "Mann", meaning man. In English it first appeared as "flugelman" or "flugleman", and the earlier spellings still show the German shape more clearly than the modern form does. The sense of a model to be copied is the one that has lasted. A fugleman was the trained figure who set the rhythm and bearing for the rest of the line, and the English word took that role over into general use for anyone who leads by example, especially a person who sets the pace for others to follow.