Etymology

leader

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Today it means: Any person who leads or directs. Full definition →

Middle English ledere ← Old English lǣdere ← Proto-West Germanic *laidijārī
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leader · noun1

  1. Proto-West Germanic*laidī
  2. Proto-West Germanic*laid
  3. Proto-West Germanic*laidijārī
  4. Old Englishlǣdere
  5. Middle Englishledere
  6. English todayleader

Inherited from Middle English ledere, from Old English lǣdere, from Proto-West Germanic *laidijārī, from *laidī (“leading, leadership”) + *-ārī, or from *laid (“leading”) + *-ārī. By surface analysis, lead + -er. Cognate with Scots leader (“leader”), West Frisian lieder (“leader”), Dutch leider (“leader”), German Leiter (“leader, conductor, manager”), Danish leder (“leader, manager”), Swedish ledare (“leader, conductor, director”), Icelandic leiðari (“leader, conductor”).

Leader · proper noun2

English surname, both from the noun leader and an occupational use of lead (“heavy metal”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.