leadsman

/ˈliːdz.mən/

Etymology

From Middle English ledes-man (“a military commander”, “a general”); equivalent to leads (the genitive form of lead: “a leading”, “a directing”, “a guiding”) + man.

leadsman means lodesman (a leader or guide). Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.

Why this word is great

LEADSMAN — [Noun] A sailor who measures water depth by casting a weighted sounding line, calling out navigable fathoms to the ship's master. From Middle English *ledes-man* (a military commander or guide), from *ledes* (genitive of *lead*, meaning "leading, directing, guiding") + *man*. Unlike a "pilot," who commands with authoritative local knowledge, or a "helmsman," who exerts physical control over the wheel, the leadsman is a sensory instrument, the vessel's probing fingertip into the unseen. It is the chill, wet hemp whipping through gloved hands, the sudden, grounding thud of the lead striking a shoal, and the taste of salt spray as the chant—"By the mark, seven!"—echoes into the fog; a human gauge in the blind zone between safe channel and ruin, trusting a weight on a string to find the way.

noun

lodesman (a leader or guide)
A sailor who takes soundings with a lead, measuring the depth of water.“In the same moment the leadsman hove the lead, and, finding it directly take the ground, he, in his fright, called out, ‘There's only three fathom.’”