Wedercoc

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rooster-shaped vane on a roof that turns with the wind ; a male sheep that has been castrated
2. An archaic name for a rooster-shaped weather vane atop a building ; a neutered male sheep kept for its wool and meat
3. A rooster figure on a pivoting arm that shows wind direction ; an archaic term for a ram that has been castrated

Etymology: The first part of "weathercock" is not "weather" at all. It comes from "wether," a castrated male sheep, which is related to Old English "weðer." The second part, "cock," is the common word for a rooster or male bird. Early weathervanes were often shaped as animals, so the compound seems to have described a vane in the form of a male sheep or bird that turned in the wind. Over time the spelling and sound of "wether" drew the word toward "weather," and the compound came to mean a vane that shows which way the wind blows. The change was a reshaping of the form rather than a change in the thing itself, since the vane's job of showing the weather stayed the same. Because of this, "weathercock" is now used figuratively for a person whose opinions change with the prevailing mood.

Synonyms: wether