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Weather vane
Meteorological instrumentation used for showing the direction of the wind / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Weathercock" redirects here. For what is commonly referred to as a "weathercock" in the U.S. and Canada, see Windpump.
For similar terms, see Weathervanes.
A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word vane comes from the Old English word fana, meaning "flag".
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Look up weather vane in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Although partly functional, wind vanes are generally decorative, often featuring the traditional cockerel design with letters indicating the points of the compass. Other common motifs include ships, arrows, and horses. Not all wind vanes have pointers. In a sufficiently strong wind, the head of the arrow or cockerel (or equivalent) will indicate the direction from which the wind is blowing.
Wind vanes are also found on small wind turbines to keep the wind turbine pointing into the wind.