weather vane

(Physical Geography) a vane designed to indicate the direction in which the wind is blowing

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

weath′er vane`

or weath′er•vane`,

a device, as a rod to which a freely rotating pointer is attached, to indicate the direction of wind.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

weather vane - mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind

vane, weathervane, wind vane

mechanical device - mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles

weathercock - weathervane with a vane in the form of a rooster

wind tee - weather vane shaped like a T and located at an airfield

Translations

ανεμοδείκτης

banderuola

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Bright shone the sun on battlement and tower, and in the blue air overhead a Hock of clattering jackdaws flew around the gilded weather vane and spire.

View in context

I'D BEEN IMPRESSED FOR YEARS BY weather vanes I'd seen around the country.

Beautiful weather vanes from junk: how to turn spare parts into decorative wind-pointers

That weather vane, believed to have been 4 to 8 feet long, had the head and chest of a man and the tail of a fish.

The wonder of weather vanes: since 48 B.C., weather vanes have stood the test of time, being both functional and decorative

The drama started on Monday afternoon when a passerby noticed the weather vane at the top of the 200fthigh landmark, in New Union Street, was leaning precariously.

Down came the vane... HEAVENLY BODY BROUGHT DOWN TO EARTH

"Taking shots at a weather vane is something that you can imagine Dad's Army doing - it would have been a good idea for one of their programmes."

Don't panic! Battered weather vane was only a bit of target practice; DAD'S ARMY TO BLAME FOR COCKEREL FULL OF HOLES

Church warden Struan Wilson said that although the weather vane wasn't in danger of falling off, the work was becoming increasingly necessary.

Golfers tee off to raise funds for church repair

The group has also splashed out pounds 4,000 on a new weather vane. Now the bells will ring out on Sunday for morning worship.

Solihull New: Church bells set to ring out once more; ST ALPHEGE: Delight after repairs to steeple mean familiar Sunday sound will return

The magnificent 4ft 4in wide sailing ship weather vane (called the Donnelly in Liverpool folklore) was regilded for pounds 500 with 23 carat gold courtesy of a parishioner.

Ringing in the changes; Liverpool has a new landmark but it's been there for nearly 200 years. Peter Elson reports

Featuring an extra large thermometer, for readings in Celsius and Fahrenheit, it also has an incremental rain catcher, anemometer to observe wind speed and a weather vane.

Shop with The Birmingham Post: Weather watch

The first known weather vane was of the Greek sea god, Triton, which was made sometime in the first century BC in Athens.

Vane art

A weather vane ($45 and up) tells which direction the wind is coming from, often a tipoff for weather changes.

How to be your own weatherman

PART of Coventry city centre was evacuated yesterday after a weather vane threatened to topple off Christ Church spire.

DI VA N E INTERVENTION! Evacuation alert as rocking wind guide threatens to topple from 200ft spire