Main Entry:

vane

Pronunciation:

\ˈvān\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English (southern dialect), from Old English fana banner; akin to Old High German fano cloth, Latin pannus cloth, rag

Date:

14th century

1 a: a movable device attached to an elevated object (as a spire) for showing the direction of the wind b: one that is changeable or inconstant2: a thin flat or curved object that is rotated about an axis by a flow of fluid or that rotates to cause a fluid to flow or that redirects a flow of fluid <the vanes of a windmill>3: the web or flat expanded part of a feather — see feather illustration4: a feather fastened to the shaft near the nock of an arrow

— vaned \ˈvānd\ adjective