Weathercocks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An indicator designed to show the direction of the wind, often mounted on buildings
2. A figure resembling a rooster that spins on a pivot to align with the wind's direction
3. A decorative element typically found atop structures, used historically for both function and ornamentation

Etymology: "Weathercocks" is the plural of "weathercock", a noun for a rooster-shaped wind vane that swivels on a rod to show which way the wind is blowing. The singular grew from Middle English forms such as "wetharcoke" and "wedercoc", built from "weather" and "cock", the familiar word for a male chicken. The rooster shape was the classic design, so a vane on a church steeple or barn roof came to be known by the bird it resembled. The combination is plain rather than mysterious: "weather" in its older sense of wind and air conditions, plus "cock" in the sense of a rooster. Early English speakers used compounds like this to name objects by their most recognizable feature, and the bird's pose on a pivot made the name stick. The plural simply adds "-s" to the singular, so each vane on a roof is one weathercock and several together are weathercocks.