vane
a blade, plate, sail, etc., in the wheel of a windmill, to be moved by the air.
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.
a person who is readily changeable or fickle.
Aerospace.
any fixed or movable plane surface on the outside of a rocket providing directional control while the rocket is within the atmosphere.
a similar plane surface located in the exhaust jet of a reaction engine, providing directional control while the engine is firing.
Ornithology. the web of a feather.
Navigation, Surveying. either of two fixed projections for sighting an alidade or the like.
Archery. feather (def. 5).
Origin of vane
1Other words from vane
- vaned, adjective
- vaneless, adjective
- mul·ti·vane, adjective
Words that may be confused with vane
Words Nearby vane
Other definitions for Vane (2 of 2)
Sir Henry Sir Harry Vane, 1613–62, British statesman and author.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use vane in a sentence
But, I refuse to believe that all the hard work that those who have marched, spoken and fought for us to progress is in vane.
Danielle Pletka, head of foreign policy at the American Enterprise Institute, has called Romney a “weather vane.”
Captain vane came from the observatory, his face blazing with excitement and oily with heat, to announce the fact.
The Giant of the North | R.M. BallantyneFor the rooster who was always perched on the weather-vane on the barn was up so high and he shone like gold.
Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon AndersonOh seruant, vertue strengthen me.Thy presence blowes round my affections vane:You will vndoe me, if you speake againe.
The Fatal Dowry | Philip Massinger
The letter was written when Mr. vane's interest in Parliament was very great.
The Loyalists of America and Their Times, Vol. 1 of 2 | Egerton RyersonSydney vane had been a popular man; he belonged to a well-known county family, and had left a widow and child.
A Life Sentence | Adeline Sergeant
British Dictionary definitions for vane (1 of 2)
/ (veɪn) /
Also called: weather vane, wind vane a flat plate or blade of metal mounted on a vertical axis in an exposed position to indicate wind direction
any one of the flat blades or sails forming part of the wheel of a windmill
any flat or shaped plate used to direct fluid flow, esp a stator blade in a turbine, etc
a fin or plate fitted to a projectile or missile to provide stabilization or guidance
ornithol the flat part of a feather, consisting of two rows of barbs on either side of the shaft
surveying
a sight on a quadrant or compass
the movable marker on a levelling staff
Origin of vane
1Derived forms of vane
- vaned, adjective
- vaneless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Vane (2 of 2)
/ (veɪn) /
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for vane
[ vān ]
The flattened, weblike part of a feather, consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the rachis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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