vane

¹ American  

[veyn] / veɪn /

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.

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Vane ² American  

[veyn] / veɪn /

noun

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

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vane ¹ British  

/ veɪn /

noun

1. 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

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

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Vane ² British  

/ veɪn /

noun

1. 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

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vane Scientific  

/ vān /

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

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Other Word Forms

• multivane adjective
• vaned adjective
• vaneless adjective

Etymology

Origin of vane

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

Example Sentences

The remarks by Williams are especially important because he is a top ally of Fed Chair Jerome Powell and is seen as a weather vane for the bank’s future moves.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

Marialyce Pedersen walked around the parking lot spinning a weather vane on which she’d fashioned a picture of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

In doing so, it set up a great weather vane for the state of national politics.

From Slate • Dec. 2, 2025

Others say she’s a weather vane, pivoting when it suits her advancement.

From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2022

The furious claws almost lifted Matthias from the weather vane as the King gripped the belt, trying to drag it off him.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques