Meaning

noun mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind

noun a fin attached to the tail of an arrow, bomb or missile in order to stabilize or guide it

noun flat surface that rotates and pushes against air or water

originFrom Middle English vane, Southern Middle English variant of fane, from Old English fana (“cloth, banner, flag”), from Proto-West Germanic *fanō, from Proto-Germanic *fanô, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂n- (“something woven; weave; tissue; fabric; cloth”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Foone (“flag, banner”), Dutch vaan (“banner, flag”), German Low German Fahn (“flag”), German Fahne. Doublet of…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0