leader
A tendon or tough connective cord in the body.
Updated September 24, 2026
leader pronunciation
/LEE-der/
Meaning
In Appalachian talk, a leader is that tough stringy band under the skin, what a doctor calls a tendon. You pull a leader in your leg and limp for a week. You cut a leader dressing a hog and the butcher talk gets quiet. It is farm and injury language, not boardroom language.
How folks use it
- “He pulled a leader in his leg and can't hardly walk.”
- “Be careful with that knife or you'll cut a leader.”
Origin and etymology
Older English used leader for something that guides or connects. Rural Southern and Appalachian speech kept it as a plain word for a tendon or ligament. Documented in mountain vocabulary lists and kitchen/butcher talk. Separate from a fishing leader (the short line to a hook), though both share the idea of a connecting line.
Frequently asked questions
Is a leader a dog leash?
Not in this mountain sense. Here it means a tendon. Anglers also say leader for the short line tied to a hook.