Bellwether Definition

bĕlwĕ th ər
noun
One that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of future trends.
American Heritage
A male sheep, usually wearing a bell, that leads the flock.
Webster's New World
A leader, esp. of a sheeplike crowd.
Webster's New World
Anything suggesting the general tendency or direction of events, style, etc.
Webster's New World
The leading sheep of a flock, having a bell hung round its neck.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Bellwether

Noun

Singular:
bellwether
Plural:
bellwethers

Origin of Bellwether

  • Middle English bellewether wether with a bell hung from its neck, leader of the flock belle bell bell1 wether wether wether

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Middle English belwether, belleweder (“a sheep with a bell around its neck to lead a flock”), equivalent to bell +‎ wether.

    From Wiktionary

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