leading

B1 Topic:Communication

US /ˈlidɪŋ/ UK /ˈliːdɪŋ/ See IPA manual

verb adj noun Freq #2484

Meanings

1

adj
Most important, best, or most successful.

He is a leading supplier of plumbing parts in the county.
2

adj
Designed to guide someone toward a particular answer.

Avoid leading questions if you really want the truth.
3

adj
Coming before something else or pointing to what will happen.

The stock market can be a leading economic indicator.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · most important, best, or... preeminent top

Word family

Derived forms bandleadingforthleadingleadinglynonleadingringleadingsubleading

Common collocations

Etymology

From Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English lǣdende, from Proto-West Germanic *laidijandī, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to lead”), equivalent to lead + -ing. Compare West Frisian liedend, Dutch leidend, German leitend, Swedish ledande, Icelandic leiðandi.

ledinge Middle English lǣdende Old English *laidijandī Proto-West Germanic *laidijandz Proto-Germanic *laidijaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Communication

# leading

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb, adj, noun
**IPA (US):** ˈlidɪŋ
**IPA (UK):** ˈliːdɪŋ
**Frequency rank:** 2484

## Meanings
1. Most important, best, or most successful.
2. Designed to guide someone toward a particular answer.
3. Coming before something else or pointing to what will happen.

## Examples
- He is a leading supplier of plumbing parts in the county.
- Avoid leading questions if you really want the truth.
- The stock market can be a leading economic indicator.

## Derived Forms
- bandleading
- forthleading
- leadingly
- nonleading
- ringleading
- subleading

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ledinge
- Root: lǣdende
- Root: *laidijandī
- Root: *laidijandz
- Root: *laidijaną

## Etymology
From Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English lǣdende, from Proto-West Germanic *laidijandī, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to lead”), equivalent to lead + -ing. Compare West Frisian liedend, Dutch leidend, German leitend, Swedish ledande, Icelandic leiðandi.

## AI Etymology
Leading comes from Middle English ledinge, ledynge, ledand, ledande, ledende, from Old English lǣdende, from Proto-West Germanic *laidijandī, from Proto-Germanic *laidijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to lead”), equivalent to lead + -ing. Compare West Frisian liedend, Dutch leidend, German leitend, Swedish ledande, Icelandic leiðandi. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Communication

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