Link Centre Dictionary

bellwether

bell·wet·her

UK/ˈbɛlwɛðə/ US/ˈbɛlwɛðɚ/ uncommon

noun

1.

someone who assumes leadership of a movement or activity

2.

sheep that leads the herd often wearing a bell

Origin

From Middle English belwether, belleweder, equivalent to bell + wether (“castrated ram”).

Phrases

  • bellwether state

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.