bellwether

Definition

The leading sheep of a flock, having a bell hung round its neck.

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

• "Several old ladies forthwith proclaimed their intention of following him; but, as one or two of them were deaf, and another had been threatened with an attack of that mild, but obstinate complaint, dementia senilis, many thought it was not so much the force of his arguments as a kind of tendency to jump as the bellwether jumps, well known in flocks not included in the Christian fold."
• "Mortgage delinquencies often act as a bellwether for a forthcoming recession."
• "At Hampton Court the little flocks of visitors are not provided with an official bellwether, but are left to browse at discretion upon the local antiquities."

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