Leads

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /lɛdz/

Definitions

1. Instances of guidance aimed at directing individuals toward a specific outcome or goal
2. Multiple sources of influence that result in progression or direction taken by individuals or groups
3. People or organizations identified as possible clients or opportunities ; a heavy, soft, malleable bluish-gray metal used in various applications ; efforts or steps taken to steer or influence the course of something

Etymology: The word is the plural of "lead," but it is also a form of a second, unrelated verb "lead," and the two are easy to confuse. The noun "lead," the metal, comes from Old English "lēad," which is cognate with Latin "plumbum," the source of "plumber." Graphite in pencils was once thought to be a form of lead, which is why the pencil's "lead" bears the name. The verb "to lead," meaning to guide or go first, comes from Old English "lǣdan," a causative of "līþan," "to go" or "travel." Its ancestral sense was therefore "to cause to go." The plural "leads" thus draws on two distinct histories. In its metallic sense, it refers to strips or sheets of lead, or to wires carrying an electrical current. In its verbal sense, it is the third-person singular of the verb "to lead," which is the form used with "he," "she," or "it." The meaning of directing or influencing, as in the sense of multiple forces shaping a course of action, follows from the original idea of causing someone to go somewhere.

Synonyms: guides, directs, conducts, steers, heads

Antonyms: follows, trails, submits, yields, departs