Adjacent Words

Conductor definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONDUCTOR, n.
1. A leader; a guide; one who goes before or accompanies, and shows the way.
2. A chief; a commander; one who leads an army or a people.
3. A director; a manager.
4. In surgery, an instrument which serves to direct the knife in cutting for the stone, and in laying up sinuses and fistulas; also, a machine to secure a fractured limb.
5. In electrical experiments, any body that receives and communicates electricity; such as metals and moist substances. Bodies which repel it, or into which it will not pass, are called non-conductors. Hence,
6. A metallic rod erected by buildings or in ships, to conduct lightning to the earth or water, and protect the building from its effects.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the person who leads a musical group [syn: conductor, music director, director]
2: a substance that readily conducts e.g. electricity and heat [ant: dielectric, insulator, nonconductor]
3: the person who collects fares on a public conveyance
4: a device designed to transmit electricity, heat, etc.

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 15th century one that conducts: as a. guide b. a collector of fares in a public conveyance c. the leader of a musical ensemble d. (1) a material or object that permits an electric current to flow easily — compare insulator, semiconductor (2) a material capable of transmitting another form of energy (as heat or sound) • conductorial adjective

Britannica Concise

Any of various substances that allow the flow of electric current or thermal energy. A conductor is a poor insulator because it has a low resistance to such flow. Electrical conductors are used to conduct electric current, as in the metal wires of an electric circuit. Electrical conductors are usually metallic. Thermal conductors allow thermal energy to flow because they do not absorb radiant heat; they include materials such as metal and glass.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a person who directs the performance of an orchestra or choir etc. 2 (fem. conductress) a a person who collects fares in a bus etc. b US an official in charge of a train. 3 Physics a a thing that conducts or transmits heat or electricity, esp. regarded in terms of its capacity to do this (a poor conductor). b = lightning-conductor. 4 a guide or leader. 5 a manager or director. Phrases and idioms: conductor rail a rail transmitting current to an electric train etc. Derivatives: conductorship n. Etymology: ME f. F conducteur f. L conductor (as conduct)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Conductor Con*duct"or (k[o^]n*d[u^]k"t[~e]r), n. [LL., a carrier, transporter, L., a lessee.] 1. One who, or that which, conducts; a leader; a commander; a guide; a manager; a director. Zeal, the blind conductor of the will. --Dryden. 2. One in charge of a public conveyance, as of a railroad train or a street car. [U. S.] 3. (Mus.) The leader or director of an orchestra or chorus. 4. (Physics) A substance or body capable of being a medium for the transmission of certain forces, esp. heat or electricity; specifically, a lightning rod. 5. (Surg.) A grooved sound or staff used for directing instruments, as lithontriptic forceps, etc.; a director. 6. (Arch.) Same as Leader. Prime conductor (Elec.), the largest conductor of an electrical machine, serving to collect, accumulate, or retain the electricity.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(conductors) 1. A conductor is a person who stands in front of an orchestra or choir and directs its performance. N-COUNT 2. On a bus, the conductor is the person whose job is to sell tickets to the passengers. N-COUNT 3. On a train, a conductor is a person whose job is to travel on the train in order to help passengers and check tickets. (AM; in BRIT, use guard) N-COUNT 4. A conductor is a substance that heat or electricity can pass through or along. N-COUNT see also lightning conductor, semiconductor

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Leader, guide. 2. Manager, director, leader. 3. (Phys.) Transmitter, propagator.

Foolish Dictionary

From Eng. coin, and Lat. duco, to command. One who commands the coin.

Moby Thesaurus

Kapellmeister, Mahdi, administrator, agent, baggage man, bakehead, band leader, band major, bandmaster, bell cow, bell mare, bellwether, bodyguard, born leader, brakeman, brakie, butcher, cavalier, chaperon, charismatic leader, choirmaster, choragus, companion, conductance, conduction, conductivity, convoy, coryphaeus, deputy, dielectric, directeur, director, dispatcher, driver, drum major, duce, duenna, electric conduction, engineer, escort, esquire, fellow traveler, file leader, fireman, footplate man, forerunner, fugleman, functionary, gas conduction, governor, guard, handler, impresario, inspired leader, insulator, intendant, ionic conduction, leader, leader of men, lineman, liquid conduction, manager, manipulator, messiah, metallic conduction, mho, nonconductor, operant, operative, operator, orchestra leader, pacemaker, pacesetter, photoconduction, pilot, porter, precentor, producer, railroad man, railroader, rector, redcap, responsible person, ringleader, runner, safe-conduct, semiconductor, shepherd, smoke agent, squire, standard-bearer, stationmaster, steersman, stoker, supercargo, superconductivity, superconductor, swain, switchman, symphonic conductor, torchbearer, trainboy, trainman, trainmaster, usher, yardman, yardmaster