bellwether
2026-09-27 · 2 min · 10 entities
Asserted relationships
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Education
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Merriam-Webster
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Literature
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Language Courses
Entities found in this episode
concepts 8
-
0.50
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Education
-
0.50
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
-
0.50
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Literature
-
0.50
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Language Courses
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Education
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Literature
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Language Courses
companys 2
-
0.70
evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Merriam-Webster
-
0.40
evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Merriam-Webster
Episode description as stored
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 27, 2026 is:
bellwether \BEL-WEH-ther\ noun
Bellwether usually refers to something that serves as an indicator of trends. It can also refer to someone or something that leads others.
// Event organizers say the concert series is a bellwether , demonstrating that good shows can bring visitors to the town.
See the entry >
Examples:
“Disney, with its long and illustrious history and dominating cultural influence, is seen as something of a bellwether for the entire entertainment industry …” — Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter , 3 Feb. 2026
Did you know?
Because it suggests the act of forecasting, one might be inclined to think that bellwether has something to do with weather . But the wether in bellwether has nothing to do with meteorology. Instead, to learn whither wether , we must head to the sheep farm. We usually think of sheep more as followers than leaders, but in a flock one sheep must lead the way. Since long ago, it has been common practice for shepherds to hang a bell around the neck of one sheep in their flock, thereby designating it the lead sheep. This animal was historically called the bellwether , a word formed by a combination of the Middle English words belle (meaning “bell”) and wether , a noun that refers to a male sheep, and today specifically to a castrated male sheep. It eventually followed that bellwether would come to refer to someone who takes initiative or who actively establishes a trend that is taken up by others. This usage first appeared in English in the 15th century and has remained in the language ever since.