conductor

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French conductour, from Old French conduitor, from Latin conductor.

noun

1. One who conducts or leads; a guide; a director.
2. (music) A person who conducts an orchestra, choir or other music ensemble; a professional whose occupation is conducting.
3. (rail transport) A person who takes tickets on public transportation and also helps passengers.
   train conductor
   tram conductor
   […] And one of the things that makes me feel safe is when I see the conductor. April 6 2022, “Network News: Booze ban continues as part of move to prioritise women's safety”, in RAIL, number 954, page 6
4. (physics) Something that can transmit electricity, heat, light, or sound.
   Coordinate term: semiconductor
   Falling conductors may come in contact with grounded objects or puddles of water. 1952, Safety Maintenance
   The failure of HIF detection leads to potential hazard to human beings and potential fire. HIFS are usually caused by falling conductors coming into contact with a surface having poor conductivity. 1997, Institution of Electrical Engineers, Fourth International Conference on Advances in Power System Control, Operation & Management, 11-13 November 1997, Institution of Electrical Engineers
5. (mathematics) An ideal of a ring that measures how far it is from being integrally closed
   If c is the conductor ideal for R in R then prime ideals not containing c correspond to localizations yielding discrete valuation rings. 1988, F van Oystaeyen, Lieven Le Bruyn, Perspectives in ring theory
6. A grooved sound or staff used for directing instruments, such as lithontriptic forceps; a director.
7. (architecture) A leader.