n. 1. A weathervane. 2. Any of several usually relatively thin, rigid, flat, or sometimes curved surfaces radially mounted along an axis, as a blade in a turbine or a sail on a windmill, that is moved by or used to move a fluid. 3. The flattened, weblike part of a feather, consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft. 4. a. The movable target on a leveling rod. b. A sight on a quadrant or compass. 5. One of the metal guidance or stabilizing fins attached to the tail of a bomb or other missile. [Middle English fane, vane, from Old English fana, flag; see pan- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.