bellwether
noun
Did you know?
Because it suggests the act of forecasting, one might be inclined to think that bellwether has something to do with weather. But the wether in bellwether has nothing to do with meteorology. Instead, to learn whither wether, we must head to the sheep farm. We usually think of sheep more as followers than leaders, but in a flock one sheep must lead the way. Since long ago, it has been common practice for shepherds to hang a bell around the neck of one sheep in their flock, thereby designating it the lead sheep. This animal was historically called the bellwether, a word formed by a combination of the Middle English words belle (meaning “bell”) and wether (a noun that refers to a male sheep, and today specifically to a castrated male sheep). It eventually followed that bellwether would come to refer to someone who takes initiative or who actively establishes a trend that is taken up by others. This usage first appeared in English in the 15th century and has remained in the language ever since.
Examples of bellwether in a Sentence
Ron Elving, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024
Saginaw County has become a political bellwether in Michigan.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024
Biden heads to Saginaw, Mich., on Thursday, a key bellwether of how that state votes in presidential elections and an area likely to be fought over by both campaigns.
—Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024
Plus Nike, Lululemon, and financial bellwether FedEx are scheduled to report earnings after the bell.
—Susan Howson, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2024
But now that’s come to a halt — bringing uncertainty for thousands of workers and an industry that has been an economic bellwether for the region.
—Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024
The fourth-quarter earnings reporting season revs up this week with a slew of quarterly results from big banks and other bellwether companies.
—Hannah Miao, WSJ, 8 Jan. 2024
Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain and considered a bellwether for the industry, is just the latest to shake up its print offerings.
—Michael Cavna, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
The bellwether perhaps began with Pharrell Williams’s Louis Vuitton men’s collections and their floor length coats.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bellwether.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English bellewether, belleweder "castrated ram with a bell around his neck followed by the other sheep in a flock, leader," from belle bell entry 1 + wether, weder wether
15th century, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Bellwether.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bellwether. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
bellwether
noun
from earlier bellwether "leading sheep (or wether) of a flock," from the fact that this sheep wore a bell which told the shepherd where the flock was
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