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leadless

 - 6 dictionary results

lead

2  [led]
Use leadless in a Sentence
–noun
1. Chemistry. a heavy, comparatively soft, malleable, bluish-gray metal, sometimes found in its natural state but usually combined as a sulfide, esp. in galena. Symbol: Pb; atomic weight: 207.19; atomic number: 82; specific gravity: 11.34 at 20°C.
2. something made of this metal or of one of its alloys.
3. a plummet or mass of lead suspended by a line, as for taking soundings.
4. bullets collectively; shot.
5. black lead or graphite.
6. a small stick of graphite, as used in pencils.
7. Also, leading. Printing. a thin strip of type metal or brass less than type-high, used for increasing the space between lines of type.
8. a grooved bar of lead or came in which sections of glass are set, as in stained-glass windows.
9. leads, British. a roof, esp. one that is shallow or flat, covered with lead.
10. white lead.
–verb (used with object)
11. to cover, line, weight, treat, or impregnate with lead or one of its compounds.
12. Printing. to insert leads between the lines of.
13. to fix (window glass) in position with leads.
–adjective
14. made of or containing lead: a lead pipe; a lead compound.
—Idioms
15. get the lead out, Slang. to move or work faster; hurry up.
16. heave the lead, Nautical. to take a sounding with a lead.
17. go over like a lead balloon, Slang. to fail to arouse interest, enthusiasm, or support.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME lede, OE lēad; c. D lood, OFris lād lead, G Lot plummet

Related forms:
leadless, adjective

Synonyms:
3. weight, plumb.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

lead  (n.)
"heavy metal," O.E. lead, from W.Gmc. *loudhom (cf. O.Fris. lad, M.Du. loot "lead," Ger. Lot "weight, plummet"). The name and the skill in using the metal seem to have been borrowed from the Celts (cf. O.Ir. luaide, probably from PIE base *plou(d)- "to flow"). Black lead was an old name for "graphite," hence lead pencil (1688) and the colloquial fig. phrase to have lead in one's pencil "be possessed of (esp. male sexual) vigor," first attested 1941 in Australian slang. Adjective form leaden is a relic of O.E. The fig. sense of "heavy, oppressive, dull" is first attested 1577. Lead balloon "a failure" is from 1960, Amer.Eng. slang. Lead-footed "slow" is from 1896; opposite sense of "fast" emerged 1940s in trucker's jargon, from notion of a foot heavy on the gas pedal.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: lead
Function: noun
: something serving as a tip, indication, or clue lead in the murder investigation>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2lead
Pronunciation: 'led
Function: noun
often attributive 1 : a heavy soft malleable ductile plastic but inelasticbluish white metallic element found mostly in combination and used especially in pipes, cable sheaths, batteries, solder, type metal, and shields against radioactivity —symbol Pb;—see ELEMENT table
2 : WHITELEAD
3 : TETRAETHYL LEAD
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

lead 2 (lěd)
n.
Symbol Pb
A soft ductile dense metallic element. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.19; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,749deg;C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
lead   (lěd)  Pronunciation Key 
Symbol Pb
A soft, ductile, heavy, bluish-gray metallic element that is extracted chiefly from galena. It is very durable and resistant to corrosion and is a poor conductor of electricity. Lead is used to make radiation shielding and containers for corrosive substances. It was once commonly used in pipes, solder, roofing, paint, and antiknock compounds in gasoline, but its use in these products has been curtailed because of its toxicity. Atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.2; melting point 327.5°C; boiling point 1,744°C; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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