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Where does the word "leader" come from? It comes from Old English lǣdere, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).
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Where does the word "leader" come from? It comes from Old English lǣdere, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).
Leader’s story begins in Old English: lǣdere meant “one who leads.” From 'lǣdan', to make go, the causative of 'līðan', to travel. It reached English by 1500s as leader. A newspaper's 'leader', its main editorial, dates from the 1800s. Today, leader means a person who leads a group.
- Stage 1 · Old English · 700s-1000s lǣdere "one who leads", from 'lǣdan', to make go, the causative of 'līðan', to travel.
- Stage 2 · English · 1500s leader "one who leads", a newspaper's 'leader', its main editorial, dates from the 1800s.