What Does a Weather Vane Measure?
Some people call it a wind vane, others a weather vane. The word “vane” finds its origins in the Middle English word “faine,” dating from before the year 1100 and meaning a flag, standard or emblem. A weather vane, according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition, is “a device for indicating wind direction.” Weather vanes have topped homes, barns, church steeples and public buildings in America for nearly 300 years.
