Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
lead line

lead line

1 8.1
A rope with a heavy lead weight that sailors lower to measure water depth from a boat
  • noun
  • /lɛd laɪn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : línea de plomo
  • To navigate safely, the captain used a lead line to measure the depth of the water.

We had a lead line, a three foot lead line.

Examples

  • The lead line cannot exceed 28 feet (8.5 m).

    Academic text (1995)

  • We had a lead line, a three foot lead line.

    Shawn Ryan Show

  • The lead line was one of the first and most important instruments used in early marine transportation.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Before anchoring, the crew checked the depth with a lead line to ensure enough clearance.

  • The fisherman relied on a lead line to determine how deep he could cast his net.

Synonyms

sounding lead
vslead line
  • Archaic
1 9.3

A heavy metal weight tied to a rope used to measure how deep water is

focuses on the line itself rather than the separate metal weight
sounding line
vslead line
  • Archaic
8.9

A rope with a weight that you drop to measure how deep the water is

is weighted with a specific heavy metal rather than any weight

How Advanced

sonar
  • Specialized
79 4.0
sonic depth finder
  • Specialized
7.6
sounder
  • Specialized
11 7.9
depth gauge
  • Specialized
1 5.9
lead line
  • Archaic
1 8.1

Surface Forms

lead line singular
lead lines plural

Morphology

lead + line

The noun–noun combination is directly compositional: 'lead' (the heavy metal/weight) modifies 'line' (a cord), yielding a cord weighted with lead. This common modifier pattern makes the object and its likely maritime function (sounding/measuring depth) inferable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Lead line comes from a simple ship tool: a lead weight tied to a line that sailors lowered until it touched the sea bottom to check how deep the water was. That's why lead line means 'a rope with a heavy weight used to measure depth'.