vane

¹

[ veyn ]

noun

1. weather vane.
2. a blade, plate, sail, etc., in the wheel of a windmill, to be moved by the air.
3. any of a number of blades or plates attached radially to a rotating drum or cylinder, as in a turbine or pump, that move or are moved by a fluid, as steam, water, hot gases, or air.
4. a person who is readily changeable or fickle.
5. Aerospace.
   1. any fixed or movable plane surface on the outside of a rocket providing directional control while the rocket is within the atmosphere.
   2. a similar plane surface located in the exhaust jet of a reaction engine, providing directional control while the engine is firing.
6. Ornithology. the web of a feather.
7. Navigation, Surveying. either of two fixed projections for sighting an alidade or the like.
8. Archery. feather ( def 5 ).

Vane

²

[ veyn ]

noun

1. Sir Henry Sir Harry Vane, 1613–62, British statesman and author.

vane

¹

/ veɪn /

noun

1. Also calledweather vanewind vane a flat plate or blade of metal mounted on a vertical axis in an exposed position to indicate wind direction
2. any one of the flat blades or sails forming part of the wheel of a windmill
3. any flat or shaped plate used to direct fluid flow, esp a stator blade in a turbine, etc
4. a fin or plate fitted to a projectile or missile to provide stabilization or guidance
5. ornithol the flat part of a feather, consisting of two rows of barbs on either side of the shaft
6. surveying
   1. a sight on a quadrant or compass
   2. the movable marker on a levelling staff

Vane

²

/ veɪn /

noun

1. VaneSir Henry16131662MEnglishPOLITICS: statesmanPOLITICS: colonial administrator Sir Henry, known as Sir Harry Vane. 1613–62, English Puritan statesman and colonial administrator; governor of Massachusetts (1636–37). He was executed for high treason after the Restoration

vane

/ vān /

1. The flattened, weblike part of a feather, consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the rachis.

Derived Forms

• ˈvaneless, adjective
• vaned, adjective

Other Words From

• vaned adjective
• vaneless adjective
• multi·vane adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vane¹

before 1100; Middle English; Old English fana flag; cognate with German Fahne flag, Gothic fana segment of cloth; gonfanon

Word History and Origins

Origin of vane¹

Old English fana; related to Old Saxon, Old High German fano, Old Norse fani, Latin pannus cloth

Example Sentences

Alanna Santini’s friends call her the “human weather vane.”

From Los Angeles Times

Alanna Santini’s friends call her the “human weather vane.”

From Los Angeles Times

Vane came to authorities’ attention after an online news outlet, News2Share, reported that the Virginia Kekoas militia had severed ties with Vane because they were alarmed by what they considered his loose talk about homemade explosives.

From Seattle Times

The news account prompted a federal investigation and a search of Vane’s northern Virginia home.

From Seattle Times

Also found in Vane’s home was an “Apocalypse Checklist” outlining the necessary steps for quickly evacuating a home with necessary provisions.

From Seattle Times