Lead,v. t. [imp. & p.p.Leaded;p. pr. & vb. n.Leading.]1.To cover, fill, or affectwith lead; as, continuous firingleads the grooves of arifle.

2.(Print.)To place leads between thelines of; as, tolead a page;leaded matter.

Lead (?),n.1.(Music.)(a)The announcement by one voicepart of a theme to be repeated by the other parts.(b)A mark or a short passage in one voice part,as of a canon, serving as a cue for the entrance of others.

2.In an internal-combustion engine, thedistance, measured in actual length of piston stroke or thecorresponding angular displacement of the crank, of the piston fromthe end of the compression stroke when ignition takes place; -- calledin fulllead of the ignition. When ignition takesplace during the working stroke the corresponding distance from thecommencement of the stroke is callednegativelead.

3.(Mach.)The excess above a rightangle in the angle between two consecutive cranks, as of a compoundengine, on the same shaft.

4.(Mach.)In spiral screw threads,worm wheels, or the like, the amount of advance of any point in thespiral for a complete turn.

5.(Elec.)(a)Aconductor conveying electricity, as from a dynamo.(b)The angle between the line joining thebrushes of a continuous-current dynamo and the diameter symmetricalbetween the poles.(c)The advance of thecurrent phase in an alternating circuit beyond that of theelectromotive force producing it.

6.(Theat.)A rôle for a leadingman or leading woman; also, one who plays such a rôle.

Lead (lĕd),n. [OE.led,leed,lead, AS.leÁd; akin to D.lood, MHG.lōt, G.loth plummet, soundinglead, small weight, Sw. & Dan.lod. √123.]1.(Chem.)One of the elements, a heavy,pliable, inelastic metal, having a bright, bluish color, but easilytarnished. It is both malleable and ductile, though with littletenacity, and is used for tubes, sheets, bullets, etc. Its specificgravity is 11.37. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with othermetals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic weight,206.4. Symbol Pb (L.Plumbum). It is chiefly obtained from themineral galena, lead sulphide.

2.An article made of lead or an alloy oflead; as:(a)A plummet or mass of lead,used in sounding at sea.(b)(Print.)A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type inprinting.(c)Sheets or plates of leadused as a covering for roofs; hence,pl., a roof covered withlead sheets or terne plates.

I would have the tower two stories, and goodlyleads upon the top.

3.A small cylinder of black lead orplumbago, used in pencils.

Black lead,graphite or plumbago; -- socalled from its leadlike appearance and streak. [Colloq.] --Coasting lead,a sounding lead intermediate inweight between a hand lead and deep-sea lead. --Deep-sea lead,the heaviest of sounding leads, used in waterexceeding a hundred fathoms in depth.Ham. Nav. Encyc. --Hand lead,a small lead use for sounding inshallow water. --Krems lead,Kremnitzlead [so called fromKrems orKremnitz, inAustria],a pure variety of white lead, formed into tablets, andcalled alsoKrems, or Kremnitz, white, andViennawhite. --Lead arming,tallow put inthe hollow of a sounding lead. SeeTo arm the lead(below). --Lead colic.See underColic. --Lead color,a deep bluishgray color, like tarnished lead. --Leadglance.(Min.)Same asGalena. --Lead line(a)(Med.)Adark line along the gums produced by a deposit of metallic lead, dueto lead poisoning.(b)(Naut.)Asounding line. --Lead mill,a leadenpolishing wheel, used by lapidaries. --Leadocher(Min.),a massive sulphur-yellow oxide oflead. Same asMassicot. --Lead pencil,a pencil of which the marking material is graphite (blacklead). --Lead plant(Bot.),a lowleguminous plant, genusAmorpha (A. canescens), foundin the Northwestern United States, where its presence is supposed toindicate lead ore.Gray. --Lead tree.(a)(Bot.)A West Indian name for thetropical, leguminous tree,Leucæna glauca; -- probablyso called from the glaucous color of the foliage.(b)(Chem.)Lead crystallized inarborescent forms from a solution of some lead salt, as by suspendinga strip of zinc in lead acetate. --Mock lead,a miner's term for blende. --Red lead,a scarlet, crystalline, granular powder, consisting of miniumwhen pure, but commonly containing several of the oxides of lead. Itis used as a paint or cement and also as an ingredient of flintglass. --Red lead ore(Min.),crocoite. --Sugar of lead,acetate oflead. --To arm the lead,to fill thehollow in the bottom of a sounding lead with tallow in order todiscover the nature of the bottom by the substances adhering.Ham. Nav. Encyc. --Tocast, orheave,the lead,to cast the soundinglead for ascertaining the depth of water. --Whitelead,hydrated carbonate of lead, obtained as a white,amorphous powder, and much used as an ingredient of whitepaint.

Lead,n.1.Theact of leading or conducting; guidance; direction; as, to take thelead; to be under thelead of another.

At the time I speak of, and having a momentarylead, . . .I am sure I did my country importantservice.

2.Precedence; advance position; also, themeasure of precedence; as, the white horse had thelead;alead of a boat's length, or of half a second.

3.(Cards & Dominoes)The act or rightof playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, soplayed; as, your partner has thelead.

4.An open way in an ice field.Kane.

5.(Mining)A lode.

6.(Naut.)The course of a rope fromend to end.

7.(Steam Engine)The width of portopening which is uncovered by the valve, for the admission or releaseof steam, at the instant when the piston is at end of itsstroke.

☞ When used alone it meansoutside lead, or lead forthe admission of steam.Inside lead refers to the release orexhaust.

8.(Civil Engineering)the distance ofhaul, as from a cutting to an embankment.

9.(Horology)The action of a tooth,as a tooth of a wheel, in impelling another tooth or a pallet.Saunier.

Lead angle(Steam Engine),the anglewhich the crank maker with the line of centers, in approaching it, atthe instant when the valve opens to admit steam. --Leadscrew(Mach.),the main longitudinal screw of alathe, which gives the feed motion to the carriage.

Lead (?),v. i.1.To guide or conduct, as by accompanying, going before, showing,influencing, directing with authority, etc.; to have precedence orpreëminence; to be first or chief; -- used in most of the sensesoflead,v. t.

2.To tend or reach in a certain direction,or to a certain place; as, the pathleads to the mill;gamblingleads to other vices.

The mountain foot thatleads towardsMantua.

To leadoff or out,to gofirst; to begin.

Lead (lēd),v. t. [imp. &p. p.Led (lĕd);p. pr. & vb.n.Leading.] [OE.leden, AS.lǣdan (akin to OS.lēdian, D.leiden, G.leiten, Icel.leīða, Sw.leda, Dan.lede), properly a causative fr. AS.liðan to go; akin to OHG.līdan, Icel.līða, Goth.leiþan (in comp.). Cf.Lode,Loath.]1.To guide orconduct with the hand, or by means of some physical contact orconnection; as, a fatherleads a child; a jockeyleadsa horse with a halter; a dogleads a blind man.

If a blind manlead a blind man, both fall downin the ditch.

They thrust him out of the city, andled himunto the brow of the hill.

In thy right handlead with thee
The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty.

2.To guide or conduct in a certain course,or to a certain place or end, by making the way known; to show theway, esp. by going with or going in advance of. Hence, figuratively:To direct; to counsel; to instruct; as, tolead a traveler; tolead a pupil.

The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of acloud, tolead them the way.

Heleadeth me beside the stillwaters.

This thought mightlead me through the world'svain mask.
Content, though blind, had I no better guide.

3.To conduct or direct with authority; tohave direction or charge of; as, tolead an army, an exploringparty, or a search; tolead a political party.

Christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he mightconquer and rule nations,lead armies, or possessplaces.

4.To go or to be in advance of; to precede;hence, to be foremost or chief among; as, the big sloopledthe fleet of yachts; the Guardsled the attack; Demosthenesleads the orators of all ages.

As Hesperus, thatleads the sun hisway.

Andlo ! Ben Adhem's nameled all therest.

5.To draw or direct by influence, whethergood or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure; as, tolead one to espouse a righteous cause.

He was driven by the necessities of the times, morethanled by his own disposition, to any rigor ofactions.

Silly women, laden with sins,led away bydivers lusts.

6.To guide or conduct one's self in,through, or along (a certain course); hence, to proceed in the wayof; to follow the path or course of; to pass; to spend. Also, tocause (one) to proceed or follow in (a certain course).

That we maylead a quiet and peaceablelife.

Nor thou with shadowed hint confuse
A life thatleads melodious days.

You remember . . . the life he used tolead hiswife and daughter.

7.(Cards & Dominoes)To begin a game,round, or trick, with; as, tolead trumps; the double five wasled.

To lead astray,to guide in a wrong way, orinto error; to seduce from truth or rectitude. --Tolead captive,to carry or bring into captivity. --To lead the way,to show the way by going infront; to act as guide.Goldsmith.