leadsman

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.

• ledës-man

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: lēdzʹmən, IPA^(key): /ˈliːdz.mən/

leadsman (plural leadsmen)

1. (obsolete) lodesman (a leader or guide)

• “†Leadsman¹” listed on page 145 of volume VI, part 1 (L, M) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles
    †Leadsman¹. Obs.  A guide, = Lodesman.  c 1510 Gest R. Hode vii. 369 in Child Ballads (1888) III. 74/1, I wyll be your ledës-man, And lede you the way. 1598 Barret Theor. Warres 29 They find their leadsman before them in their due distance.
• “†leadsman¹” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary

From (genitive form of) lead (“heavy metal; Pb”) + man.

• (UK) enPR: lĕdzʹmən, IPA^(key): /ˈlɛdzmən/

leadsman (plural leadsmen)

1. (nautical) A sailor who takes soundings with a lead, measuring the depth of water.
   • 1808–10, William Hickey, Memoirs of a Georgian Rake, Folio Society 1995, p. 205:

     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.’

• swing the lead
• throw the lead

• “Leadsman²” listed on page 145 of volume VI, part 1 (L, M) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles
    Leadsman² (le·dzmăn).  The man who ‘heaves’ the lead in taking soundings. 
• “leadsman²” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary

• dalesman