lead line

[ led ]

/ lɛd /

noun Nautical.

a line by which a lead is lowered into the water to take soundings: in deep-sea practice, divided into levels one fathom apart, variously treated as marks and deeps.

Nearby words

lead dioxide, lead down the garden path, lead encephalopathy, lead glass, lead glaze, lead line, lead monoxide, lead off, lead on, lead one to, lead oxide

Origin of lead line

First recorded in 1475–85

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lead line

Gardiner sprang to the lead-line to see the effect on his own vessel.
The Sea Lions|James Fenimore Cooper
Two coils of lead-line and a small canvas bag hung on a long lanyard, swung wide off, and came back clinging to the bulkheads.
Typhoon|Joseph Conrad
Two or three times a day, he lashed a thermometer to the lead-line and recorded bottom temperatures.
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace
Suddenly the ship seemed to be brought to a standstill; the lead-line remained up and down.
The Three Lieutenants|W.H.G. Kingston

The man at the helm and the man with the lead-line fell backwards into the boat.
The Secret of the Island|W.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)

British Dictionary definitions for lead line

lead line

/ (lɛd) /

noun

nautical a length of line for swinging a lead, marked at various points to indicate multiples of fathoms

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lead line

noun Nautical.

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of lead line

Examples from the Web for lead line

British Dictionary definitions for lead line

lead line

noun

Medicine definitions for lead line

lead line

n.