vane

[ veyn ]

/ veɪn /

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noun

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).

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Origin of vane

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

OTHER WORDS FROM vane

vaned, adjectivevaneless, adjectivemul·ti·vane, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH vane

vain, vane , vein

Words nearby vane

Vandyke, Vandyke beard, Vandyke brown, Vandyke collar, Van Dyken, vane, Vänern, Vanessa, vanessid, van Eyck, Van Fleet

Other definitions for vane (2 of 2)

Vane

[ veyn ]

/ veɪn /

noun

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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.
Reset America: You Answered the Call|Nick Fouriezos|April 23, 2021|Ozy
Danielle Pletka, head of foreign policy at the American Enterprise Institute, has called Romney a “weather vane.”
How Romney Is Like Reagan|Peter Beinart|June 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
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. Ballantyne
For 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 Anderson

Oh 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 Ryerson
Sydney 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)

vane

/ (veɪn) /

noun

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

Derived forms of vane

vaned, adjectivevaneless, adjective

Word Origin for vane

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

British Dictionary definitions for vane (2 of 2)

Vane

/ (veɪn) /

noun

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

vane

[ vān ]

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

vane

Origin of vane

OTHER WORDS FROM vane

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH vane

Words nearby vane

Other definitions for vane (2 of 2)

Words related to vane

How to use vane in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vane (1 of 2)

Derived forms of vane

Word Origin for vane

British Dictionary definitions for vane (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for vane