lead: [OE] English has two words lead, spelled the same but of course pronounced differently and with a very different history. The verb goes back to a prehistoric West and North Germanic *laithjan. This was derived from *laithō ‘way, journey’ (from which English gets load); so etymologically lead means ‘cause to go along one’s way’. Its Germanic relatives include German leiten, Dutch leiden, Swedish leda, and Danish lede. Lead the metal is probably of Celtic origin.
The prehistoric Celtic word for ‘lead’ was *loudiā, which may have come ultimately from an Indo-European source meaning ‘flow’ (a reference to the metal’s low melting point). Its modern descendants include Irish luaidhe and Gaelic luaidh. It could well have been borrowed into prehistoric West Germanic as *lauda, which would have produced modern German lot ‘solder’, Dutch lood ‘lead’, and English lead. => load
lead (v.1)
"to guide," Old English lædan "cause to go with one, lead, guide, conduct, carry; sprout forth; bring forth, pass (one's life)," causative of liðan "to travel," from Proto-Germanic *laidjan (cognates: Old Saxon lithan, Old Norse liða "to go," Old High German ga-lidan "to travel," Gothic ga-leiþan "to go"), from PIE *leit- "to go forth."
Meaning "to be in first place" is from late 14c. Sense in card playing is from 1670s. Related: Led; leading. Lead-off "commencement, beginning" attested from 1879; lead-in "introduction, opening" is from 1928.
lead (n.1)
heavy metal, Old English lead, from West Germanic *loudhom (cognates: Old Frisian lad, Middle Dutch loot, Dutch lood "lead," German Lot "weight, plummet"). The name and the skill in using the metal seem to have been borrowed from the Celts (compare Old Irish luaide), probably from PIE root *plou(d)- "to flow."
Figurative of heaviness since at least early 14c. Black lead was an old name for "graphite," hence lead pencil (1680s) and the colloquial figurative phrase to have lead in one's pencil "be possessed of (especially male sexual) vigor," attested by 1902. Lead balloon "a failure," American English slang, attested by 1957 (as a type of something heavy that can be kept up only with effort, from 1904). 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.
lead (n.2)
c. 1300, "action of leading," from lead (v.1). Meaning "the front or leading place" is from 1560s. Johnson stigmatized it as "a low, despicable word." Sense in card-playing is from 1742; in theater, from 1831; in journalism, from 1912; in jazz bands, from 1934.
lead (v.2)
early 15c., "to make of lead," from lead (n.1). Meaning "to cover with lead" is from mid-15c. Related: Leaded (early 13c.); leading.
中文解释
音译“领导”。“领”的本意为“颈部”，按理说并不是人体最高的，但却是头之外最高的，并且头的转动也依赖脖子，所以两者往往联系在一起——“头领”、“首领”，表示地位高、可以发号施令的人。“导”的本意是“引路”，最早这个“导”的事是下人做的，比如“导引”、“向导”，不会有人用这个字用来形容有身份有影响力的大人物。所以这两个字放在一起是有违和感的。直到近代民主革命消灭了皇权，作为国家象征和最高权力的代表的人不再是高高在上的统治者，而成了为全民指明前进方向、带领全民前进的人时候，这两个字再通过英文 lead 和 leader 联系在一起，但究竟是受外文影响联系在一起的，还是自发联系在一起的，至今仍有争议。
实用例句
1. Politicians say it could lead to a dissolution of parliament.
政客们说这可能会导致议会解散。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The group proceeded with a march they knew would lead to bloodshed.
这个团体继续示威游行，他们知道这将导致流血事件的发生。
来自柯林斯例句
3. This can lead to bodily weakness and muscle wastage.
这样可能会导致身体虚弱和肌肉萎缩。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Lack of exercise can lead to feelings of depression and exhaustion.
缺乏锻炼会导致抑郁和疲劳。
来自柯林斯例句
5. The Turkish situation makes the lead in tomorrow's Guardian.