conductor

English

Alternative forms

• conductour (obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈdʌktɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: con‧duc‧tor

Noun

conductor (plural conductors)

1. One who conducts or leads; a guide; a director.
   • 1687, [John Dryden], “The Third Part”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 96:

     […] Zeal, the blind conductor of the will;

3. (music) A person who conducts an orchestra, choir or other music ensemble; a professional whose occupation is conducting.
5. (transport) A person who takes tickets on public transportation and also helps passengers.

   train conductor

   tram conductor

   • 2022 April 6, “Network News: Booze ban continues as part of move to prioritise women's safety”, in RAIL, number 954, page 6:

     " […] And one of the things that makes me feel safe is when I see the conductor."

7. (physics) Something that can transmit electricity, heat, light, or sound.

   Antonyms: dielectric, nonconductor, insulator

   Coordinate term: semiconductor

   • 1952, Safety Maintenance:

     Falling conductors may come in contact with grounded objects or puddles of water.

   • 1997, Institution of Electrical Engineers, Fourth International Conference on Advances in Power System Control, Operation & Management, 11-13 November 1997, Institution of Electrical Engineers:

     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.

8. (mathematics) An ideal of a ring that measures how far it is from being integrally closed
   • 1988, F van Oystaeyen, Lieven Le Bruyn, Perspectives in ring theory:

     If c is the conductor ideal for R in R then prime ideals not containing c correspond to localizations yielding discrete valuation rings.

9. A grooved sound or staff used for directing instruments, such as lithontriptic forceps; a director.
10. (architecture) A leader.

Derived terms

• Bioconductor
• bus conductor
• conductoress
• conductorette
• conductorial
• conductorless
• conductorly
• conductor rail
• conductorship
• hyperconductor
• lightning conductor
• line conductor
• live conductor
• microconductor
• multiconductor
• nanoconductor
• neutral conductor
• osteoconductor
• photoconductor
• radioconductor
• reconductor
• superconductor

Related terms

• conduct

Translations

person who conducts an orchestra, choir or other music ensemble

• Albanian: dirigjent (sq) m
• Arabic: قَائِدُ فِرْقَاتٍ مُوسِيقِيَّةٍ m (qāʔidu firqātin mūsīqiyyatin)
• Armenian: դիրիժոր (hy) (dirižor), խմբավար (hy) (xmbavar)
• Azerbaijani: dirijor
• Belarusian: дырыжо́р m (dyryžór), дырыге́нт m (dyryhjént), дырыге́нтка f (dyryhjéntka)
• Bulgarian: дириге́нт (bg) m (dirigént), дириге́нтка f (dirigéntka)
• Catalan: director (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 指揮 / 指挥 (zh) (zhǐhuī), 指揮家 / 指挥家 (zh) (zhǐhuījiā)

• Czech: dirigent (cs) m, dirigentka f
• Danish: dirigent c
• Dutch: dirigent (nl) m
• Estonian: dirigent
• Finnish: kapellimestari (fi), kuoronjohtaja (fi), orkesterinjohtaja
• French: chef d'orchestre (fr) m
• Georgian: დირიჟორი (dirižori)
• German: Dirigent (de) m, Dirigentin (de) f
• Greek: μαέστρος (el) m (maéstros)
• Greenlandic: nipilersortuni ussersortuusoq
• Hebrew: מְנַצֵּחַ (he) m (m'natséakh), מנצחת f (menatzákhat)
• Hindi: संचालक (hi) m (sañcālak), कंडक्टर m (kaṇḍakṭar)
• Hungarian: karmester (hu), karnagy (hu)
• Indonesian: konduktor (id), dirigen (id)
• Interlingua: director de orchestra
• Irish: stiúrthóir m
• Italian: direttore d'orchestra
• Japanese: 指揮者 (ja) (しきしゃ, shikisha)
• Kazakh: дирижёр (dirijer)
• Korean: 지휘자(指揮者) (ko) (jihwija)
• Kyrgyz: дирижёр (ky) (dirijyor)
• Latvian: diriģents (lv) m
• Lithuanian: dirigentas m
• Macedonian: дириге́нт m (dirigént), дириге́нтка f (dirigéntka)
• Malay: konduktor (ms)
• Manx: stiureyder m
• Māori: kaikōtui
• Norman: chef dé musique m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: dirigent m

  Nynorsk: dirigent m

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: رَهْبَرِ اُرْکِسْتْر (rahbar-e orkestr), رَهْبَر (rahbar)

• Polish: dyrygent (pl) m pers, dyrygentka (pl) f
• Portuguese: maestro (pt) m, maestrina (pt) f
• Romanian: dirijor (ro) m, dirijoare (ro) f, șef de orchestră (ro)
• Russian: дирижёр (ru) m (dirižór)
• Serbo-Croatian: dirigent (sh) m

  Cyrillic: ра̀внатељ m, дирѝгент m

  Latin: ràvnatelj (sh) m, dirìgent (sh) m

• Slovak: dirigent m, dirigentka f
• Slovene: dirigent (sl) m, dirigentka f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: dirigent m, dirigentka f

• Spanish: director (es) m
• Swedish: dirigent (sv) c
• Tajik: дирижёр (dirižyor)
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: วาทยกร (th) (waa-tá-yá-gɔɔn), ผู้อำนวยเพลง (th) (pûu-am-nuai-pleeng), คอนดักเตอร์ (kɔn-dák-dtə̂ə)
• Turkish: orkestra şefi (tr), koro şefi (tr), şef (tr)
• Ukrainian: дириге́нт m (dyryhént), дириге́нтка f (dyryhéntka)
• Uzbek: dirijyor (uz)
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} nhạc trưởng (vi), ^{(please verify)} chỉ huy dàn nhạc

person who takes tickets on public transportation

• Amharic: መሪ (märi)
• Arabic: تَذْكِرِيّ m (taḏkiriyy)
• Armenian: ուղեկցորդ (hy) (uġekcʻord), տոմսավաճառ (hy) (tomsavačaṙ)
• Belarusian: канду́ктар m (kandúktar), правадні́к m (pravadník), правадні́ца f (pravadníca)
• Bulgarian: конду́ктор m (kondúktor)
• Burmese: စပယ်ရာ (my) (ca.paira)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 售票員 / 售票员 (zh) (shòupiàoyuán)

• Czech: průvodčí (cs) m or f
• Danish: konduktør c, togfører c
• Dutch: conducteur (nl) m, treinbegeleider (nl) m (Belgium)
• Esperanto: konduktoro
• Estonian: konduktor, reisisaatja
• Finnish: konduktööri (fi)
• French: contrôleur (fr), poinçonneur (fr) (ancient, in bus)
• Georgian: კონდუქტორი (ḳondukṭori), გამცილებელი (gamcilebeli)
• German: Schaffner (de) m, Kondukteur (de) m
• Greek: εισπράκτορας (el) m or f (eispráktoras)
• Hebrew: כרטיסן m (kart'isan), כרטיסנית f (kart'isanyt)
• Hindi: संचालक (hi) m (sañcālak), परिचालक (hi) m (paricālak)
• Hungarian: kalauz (hu), vonatkalauz, vonatkísérő (hu)
• Indonesian: kondektur (id)
• Ingrian: konduktora
• Interlingua: billetero
• Irish: stiúrthóir m
• Italian: conducente (it)
• Japanese: 車掌 (ja) (しゃしょう, shashō)
• Kamba: kondakta
• Kazakh: жолсерік (jolserık)
• Kikuyu: kondakta
• Korean: 차장(車掌) (ko) (chajang)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: konduktor m or f

• Kyrgyz: жолшерик (jolşerik), проводник (provodnik)
• Latvian: konduktors m
• Lithuanian: konduktorius m
• Luhya: kondakita
• Luo: kondakta
• Macedonian: конду́ктор m (kondúktor), спро́водник m (spróvodnik), про́водник m (próvodnik)
• Malay: konduktor (ms)
• Manx: stiureyder m
• Marathi: वाहक (mr) m (vāhak), कंडक्टर m (kaṇḍakṭar)
• Meru: kondakta
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: konduktør (no) m

• Polish: kontroler (pl) m pers, kontrolerka (pl) f, konduktor (pl) m pers, konduktorka (pl) f, kanar (pl) m pers (informal)
• Portuguese: condutor (pt) m (Brazil), cobrador (pt) m (Brazil), trocador (pt) m (Brazil)
• Romanian: conductor (ro) m
• Russian: конду́ктор (ru) m (kondúktor), проводни́к (ru) m (provodník), проводни́ца (ru) f (provodníca)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: конду̀кте̄р m

  Latin: kondùktēr (sh) m

• Slovak: sprievodca (sk) m, sprievodkyňa f
• Slovene: sprevodnik (sl) m, sprevodnica f
• Spanish: revisor m, guarda (es) m, inspector (es) m
• Swahili: kondakta (sw)
• Swedish: konduktör (sv) c
• Tajik: проводник (provodnik)
• Tamil: நடத்துநர் (ta) (naṭattunar)
• Turkish: kondüktör (tr)
• Ukrainian: конду́ктор (uk) m (kondúktor), провідни́к m (providnýk), провідни́ця f (providnýcja)
• Uzbek: provodnik (uz)
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} người lấy vé, (conductor who sells tickets) ^{(please verify)} người bán vé, ^{(please verify)} người phục vụ hành khác
• Yiddish: קאָנדוקטאָר m (konduktor), קאָנדוקטאָרשע f (konduktorshe)

something which can transmit electricity, heat, light or sound

• Albanian: përcjellës (sq) m
• Arabic: مُوَصِّل كَهْرَبَائِيّ m (muwaṣṣil kahrabāʔiyy), مُوَصِّل m (muwaṣṣil)
• Armenian: հաղորդիչ (hy) (haġordičʻ)
• Azerbaijani: keçirici
• Belarusian: правадні́к m (pravadník)
• Bulgarian: проводни́к (bg) m (provodník)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 導體 / 导体 (zh) (dǎotǐ)

• Czech: vodič (cs) m
• Danish: leder (da) c
• Dutch: geleider (nl) m
• Estonian: juht (et), juhe (et)
• Finnish: johde (fi), johdin (fi), johdatin
• French: conducteur (fr)
• Georgian: გამტარი (gamṭari)
• German: Leiter (de) m
• Greek: αγωγός (el) m (agogós)
• Hebrew: מוליך m (molykh)
• Hindi: चालक (hi) m (cālak), परिचालक (hi) m (paricālak)
• Hungarian: vezető (hu), hővezető (hu), áramvezető (hu)
• Icelandic: leiðari m, leiðir m
• Indonesian: konduktor (id), penghantar (id)
• Interlingua: conductor
• Irish: conduchtaire m, seoltóir m
• Italian: conducente (it)
• Japanese: 導体 (ja) (どうたい, dōtai)
• Kazakh: өткізгіш (kk) (ötkızgış)
• Khmer: ^{(please verify)} អង្គធាតុចម្លង (ʼɑng thiət cɑmlɑɑng)
• Korean: 도체(導體) (ko) (doche)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: girêder (ku) f

• Kyrgyz: өткөргүч (ötkörgüc)
• Latvian: vadītājs (lv) m
• Lithuanian: laidininkas m
• Macedonian: спроводник m (sprovodnik)
• Malay: konduktor (ms), pengalir
• Manx: leeideilagh m, condughteyr m
• Māori: pūkawe, pūkawe hiko (of electricity), pūkawe wera (of heat), kawehiko (Refers to an electrical conductor)
• Marathi: वाहक (mr) m (vāhak)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: дамжуулагч (mn) (damžuulagč)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: leder (no) m

  Nynorsk: leiar (no) m

• Persian: رسانا (fa) (resânâ)
• Polish: przewodnik (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: condutor (pt) m
• Romanian: conductor (ro) m
• Russian: проводни́к (ru) m (provodník)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: конду̀ктор m, спро̀воднӣк m, про́воднӣк m

  Latin: kondùktor (sh) m, spròvodnīk (sh) m, próvodnīk (sh) m

• Slovak: vodič m
• Slovene: prevodnik (sl) m
• Spanish: conductor (es) m
• Swedish: ledare (sv) c
• Tagalog: saluyan
• Tajik: ноқил (noqil), мувассил (muvassil)
• Tamil: கடத்தி (ta) (kaṭatti)
• Thai: ตัวนำ (th) (dtuua-nam)
• Turkish: iletken (tr)
• Ukrainian: провідни́к m (providnýk)
• Urdu: مُوَصِّل (muvassil)
• Uzbek: oʻtkazgich (uz)
• Vietnamese: chất dẫn

See also

• ticket inspector

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin conductōrem (“contractor, employer”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [kun.dukˈtu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Northwestern) [kon.dukˈto]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [kun.dukˈto]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kon.dukˈtoɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Adjective

conductor (feminine conductora, masculine plural conductors, feminine plural conductores)

1. driving
2. conducting

Noun

conductor m (plural conductors, feminine conductora, feminine plural conductores)

1. driver

Noun

conductor m (plural conductors)

1. (physics) conductor

Derived terms

• semiconductor

Related terms

• conduir

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin con

Proto-Indo-European *dewk-

Proto-Indo-European *déwkti

Proto-Italic *doukō

Latin dūcō

Latin condūcō

Proto-Indo-European *-tōr

Proto-Italic *-tōr

Latin -tor

Latin conductor

From condūcō (“to lead”) + -tor.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [kɔnˈdʊk.tɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [konˈduk.tor]

Noun

conductor m (genitive conductōris, feminine conductrīx); third declension

1. employer, entrepreneur
2. contractor
3. (physics) conductor (of heat, electricity etc)

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	conductor	conductōrēs
genitive	conductōris	conductōrum
dative	conductōrī	conductōribus
accusative	conductōrem	conductōrēs
ablative	conductōre	conductōribus
vocative	conductor	conductōrēs

Descendants

• Catalan: conductor
• English: conductor
• French: conducteur
• Galician: conductor
• Old French: conduitor
• Portuguese: condutor
• Romanian: conducător, conductor
• Russian: конду́ктор (kondúktor)
• Spanish: conductor

References

• “conductor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “conductor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "conductor", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “conductor”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Noun

conductor m (plural conductores, feminine conductora, feminine plural conductoras)

1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of condutor

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French conducteur, from Latin conductor.

Noun

conductor n (plural conductoare)

1. (physics) conductor

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	conductor	conductorul	conductoare	conductoarele
genitive-dative	conductor	conductorului	conductoare	conductoarelor
vocative	conductorule		conductoarelor

Noun

conductor m (plural conductori)

1. driver
2. (physics) conductor

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	conductor	conductorul	conductori	conductorii
genitive-dative	conductor	conductorului	conductori	conductorilor
vocative	conductorule		conductorilor

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin conductorem (“contractor, employer”). Cognate with English conductor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konduɡˈtoɾ/ [kõn̪.d̪uɣ̞ˈt̪oɾ]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: con‧duc‧tor

Noun

conductor m (plural conductores, feminine conductora, feminine plural conductoras)

1. driver

   Synonyms: volante, chofer

2. motorist

   Synonym: motorista

3. (Mexico, Rioplatense) presenter; host (of a television show)

   Synonym: presentador

Derived terms

• registro de conductor

Related terms

• conducir

Noun

conductor m (plural conductores)

1. conductor (transmitter of electricity, heat, light or sound)

   Antonym: aislador/aislante

Derived terms

• hilo conductor

Further reading

• “conductor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025