Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A weathervane.
  • noun Any of several usually relatively thin, rigid, flat, or sometimes curved surfaces radially mounted along an axis, as a blade in a turbine or a sail on a windmill, that is moved by or used to move a fluid.
  • noun The flattened, weblike part of a feather, consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft.
  • noun The movable target on a leveling rod.
  • noun A sight on a quadrant or compass.
  • noun One of the metal guidance or stabilizing fins attached to the tail of a bomb or other missile.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A flag or pennon.—
  • noun A weathercock; a device which is moved by the wind in such a manner as to show the wind's direction; a weathervane.
  • noun A device used on shipboard to answer the purpose of a weathercock: generally called dogvane.
  • noun A device similar to a weather-vane, attached to an axis, and having a surface exposed to a moving current, as in an anemometer or a water-meter.
  • noun In ornithology, the web of a feather on either side of the shaft; the pogonium; the vexillum. Also used of an arrow. See feather, and cuts under aftershaft and penciling.
  • noun One of the plates or blades of a windmill, a screw propeller, and the like. See cuts under screw propeller (under screw), and smoke-jack.
  • noun In surveying-instruments: A horizontal piece of wood or metal slipping on a levelingstaff.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A contrivance attached to some elevated object for the purpose of showing which way the wind blows; a weathercock. It is usually a plate or strip of metal, or slip of wood, often cut into some fanciful form, and placed upon a perpendicular axis around which it moves freely.
  • noun Any flat, extended surface attached to an axis and moved by the wind; ; hence, a similar fixture of any form moved in or by water, air, or other fluid.
  • noun (Zoöl.) The rhachis and web of a feather taken together.
  • noun One of the sights of a compass, quadrant, etc.
  • noun (Surv.) Same as Target, 3.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun countable A weather vane.
  • noun Any of several usually relatively thin, rigid, flat, or sometimes curved surfaces radially mounted along an axis, as a blade in a turbine or a sail on a windmill, that is turned by or used to turn a fluid.
  • noun ornithology The flattened, web-like part of a feather, consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft.
  • noun A sight on a sextant or compass.
  • noun One of the metal guidance or stabilizing fins attached to the tail of a bomb or other missile.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun flat surface that rotates and pushes against air or water
  • noun the flattened weblike part of a feather consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft
  • noun mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
  • noun a fin attached to the tail of an arrow, bomb or missile in order to stabilize or guide it

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English fane, vane, from Old English fana, flag; see pan- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English fana, from Proto-Germanic *fanô.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word vane.

Examples

  • My contribution in that "vane" is to express the hope that more Canadian companies will view the electricity building in the air as an exciting indicator of the numerous opportunities emerging for global business, and not of the static kind.

    Trading Up: Fair Trade in the New Global Economy 2001

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

  • If the turning vane is not used, some of the air will get around the turn, but backpressure will be created, and the flow rate of the air will be reduced.

    It is very hot lakeside 2007

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • This year a friend tethered a cinammon-infused broom decoration to the vanes of his solitary ceiling fan, turned the fan on, and called it a good Christmas.

    December 26, 2010