lead2

noun

• 1a heavy, bluish-gray, soft, ductile metal, the chemical element of atomic number 82. It has been used in roofing, plumbing, ammunition, storage batteries, radiation shields, etc., and its compounds have been used in crystal glass, as an antiknock agent in gasoline, and (formerly) in paints. (Symbol: Pb)

• 2an item or implement made of lead, in particular.
• Nautical a lead casting suspended on a line to determine the depth of water.
• bullets.

• 3graphite used as the part of a pencil that makes a mark.

• 4 Printing a blank space between lines of print.

  [originally with reference to the metal strip used to create this space]