People who lead orchestras or bands using hand movements, or materials that allow electricity or heat to pass through them easily.
From Latin 'conducere,' meaning 'to lead together,' from 'com-' (together) and 'ducere' (to lead). The musical meaning emerged in the 1700s, while the physics meaning describes substances that literally 'lead' energy.
A conductor's hands literally control 100 musicians playing together through invisible communication—it's one of the only jobs where you can make hundreds of people move in perfect unison without speaking, making it almost like musical telepathy!
Musical conductors and transit operators were historically male-dominant roles. Language rarely distinguished gender, but institutional barriers kept women out; when they entered, -ess forms sometimes emerged (conductress, now rare).
Use 'conductor' universally; the term is already inclusive. Avoid dated forms like 'conductress.'
["conductor"]
Women conductors have shaped classical music and transit systems; acknowledging their contributions requires using gender-neutral occupational language.
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