\Lead"er\, n.
1. One who, or that which, leads or conducts; a guide; a
   conductor. Especially:
   (a) One who goes first.
   (b) One having authority to direct; a chief; a commander.
   (c) (Mus.) A performer who leads a band or choir in music;
       also, in an orchestra, the principal violinist; the
       one who plays at the head of the first violins.
   (d) (Naut.) A block of hard wood pierced with suitable
       holes for leading ropes in their proper places.
   (e) (Mach.) The principal wheel in any kind of machinery.
       [Obs. or R.] --G. Francis.
   (f) A horse placed in advance of others; one of the
       forward pair of horses.
             He forgot to pull in his leaders, and they
             gallop away with him at times.    --Hare.
   (g) A pipe for conducting rain water from a roof to a
       cistern or to the ground; a conductor.
   (h) (Fishing) A net for leading fish into a pound, weir,
       etc.; also, a line of gut, to which the snell of a fly
       hook is attached.
   (i) (Mining) A branch or small vein, not important in
       itself, but indicating the proximity of a better one.
2. The first, or the principal, editorial article in a
   newspaper; a leading or main editorial article.
3. (Print.)
   (a) A type having a dot or short row of dots upon its
       face.
   (b) pl. a row of dots, periods, or hyphens, used in tables
       of contents, etc., to lead the eye across a space to
       the right word or number.
Syn: chief; chieftain; commander. See {Chief}.