Leadsman
//ˈliːdz.mən// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 lodesman (a leader or guide) obsolete
- 2 A sailor who takes soundings with a lead, measuring the depth of water.
"In the same moment the leadsman hove the lead, and, finding it directly take the ground, he, in his fright, called out, ‘There's only three fathom.’"
Example
More examples"In the same moment the leadsman hove the lead, and, finding it directly take the ground, he, in his fright, called out, ‘There's only three fathom.’"
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English ledes-man (“a military commander”, “a general”); equivalent to leads (the genitive form of lead: “a leading”, “a directing”, “a guiding”) + man.
Etymology 2
From (genitive form of) lead (“heavy metal; Pb”) + man.
Related phrases
More for "leadsman"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.