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📈 A trend leader 🐑 A lead sheep
bellwether

bellwether

8.9
A sheep that leads a flock and wears a bell
  • noun
  • /ˈbɛlˌwɛðər/
translation icon : oveja guía
  • In a traditional flock, the bellwether is easily identified by the bell hanging from its neck.

Examples

  • When the bellwether moved, the rest of the sheep instinctively followed.

  • The farmer relied on the bellwether to guide the other animals across the field.

  • The shepherd tied a small bell around the neck of the bellwether to keep track of the flock.

  • The bellwether sheep led the flock to greener pastures.

  • Farmers often rely on the bellwether to guide their herds.

  • The shepherd relies on the bellwether to keep track of the entire flock on the open pasture.

  • During the sheep drive, the bellwether trotted confidently ahead, guiding the others along the familiar path.

Antonyms

follower
295 1.6

A person who supports a leader and accepts their direction

Compounds

bellwether state
  • Literature
1 7.8

A state in the United States whose election results often show national voting trends

Surface Forms

bellwether singular
bellwethers plural

Morphology

bellwether = bell + wether (semi-transparent) = bell + wether

Formally a compound 'bell' + 'wether' whose literal meaning is clear, but 'wether' is a rare word that many learners will not know.

Etymology

The word bellwether comes from farms where the leader of a flock wore a bell on its neck and that leader was a wether, which means 'male sheep'. So, a bellwether is the sheep that leads the flock.