Webster's English Dictionary

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vane

vane \'va-n\ \'va-nd\ n [ME (southern dial.), fr. OE fana banner; akin to 
   OHG fano cloth, L] pannus cloth, rag 1a: a movable device attached to an 
   elevated object (as a spire) for showin g the direction of the wind 1b: one 
   that is changeable or inconstant  2: a thin flat or curved object that is 
   rotated about an axis by a flow of  fluid {the ~s of a windmill} 3: the web 
   or flat expanded part of a feather  4: a feather fastened to the shaft near 
   the nock of an arrow  5a: the target of a leveling rod  5b: one of the 
   sights of a compass or quadrant  - vaned aj