bellwether
bellwether · bellwethers
Indikator, Leithammel, Trendsetter, Trendbarometer
The leading sheep of a flock, having a bell hung round its neckThe leading sheep of a flock, having a bell hung round its neck.
UK/ˈbɛlwɛðə/US/ˈbɛlwɛðɚ/
Meaning
3 sensesThe leading sheep of a flock, having a bell hung round its neck.
Leithammel
sheep that leads the herd often wearing a bell
(figuratively)Anything that indicates future trends.
Mortgage delinquencies often act as a bellwether for a forthcoming recession.
Trendsetter, Trendbarometer, Indikator
(figuratively)A stock whose price performance is treated as an indicator of the likely direction of a broader market, sector, or industry.
führender Wert, Indikator
Translations
5 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 3
the leading sheep of a flock, having a bell hung round its neck:
anything that indicates future trends:
a stock or bond that is widely believed to be an indicator of the overall market's condition:
Origin
From Middle English belwether, belleweder, equivalent to bell + wether (“castrated ram”).From Middle English belwether, belleweder, equivalent to bell + wether (“castrated ram”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: bellwethersSynonyms
4 synonymsWord family
3 related wordsDerivedbellwether state