vane
/veɪn/ (bre, ipa) · [vˈen] /veɪn/ (ame, ipa) · [vˈen] /ˈvān/ (ame, mw)
vane — 名詞
- vanesingular
- vanesplural
1. Each of the flat pieces arranged around a central hub in machines such as fans a
葉片；槳葉
風扇、渦輪等機械的旋轉葉片
Each of the flat pieces arranged around a central hub in machines such as fans and windmills. Fluid flowing against these pieces makes the hub spin, converting the motion into useful power.
Keiko saw that one of the ceiling fan vanes was loose and made a clicking sound each time it turned.
Keiko 發現吊扇的一片葉片鬆了，每次轉動都會發出咔噠聲。
ceiling fan vane — loose vane making noise
The windmill's wooden vanes creaked loudly as the strong afternoon breeze pushed them around.
強勁的午後微風吹動風車的木製葉片，發出嘎吱作響的聲音。
windmill + wooden vanes
Water flowing through the turbine made the vanes spin fast enough to generate electricity for the nearby village.
流經水輪機的水流使葉片快速旋轉，足以為附近的村莊發電。
Diego cleaned the fan vanes with a damp cloth, removing dust that had built up over the summer months.
Diego 用濕布擦拭風扇葉片，清除了整個夏天積累的灰塵。
文法句型
vane + of + [machine]
[machine] + vane
常見錯誤
2. A metal or plastic object, often shaped like a rooster or an arrow, fixed to the
風向標
建築屋頂上指示風向的裝置
A metal or plastic object, often shaped like a rooster or an arrow, fixed to the top of a building. It turns freely in the wind to show which direction the wind is coming from.
A copper rooster-shaped vane sat on top of the old church, pointing east whenever the wind blew from the west.
一座銅製公雞形狀的風向標立於老教堂頂端，每當西風吹來，它就指向東方。
rooster-shaped weather vane on a church
Before weather apps existed, farmers relied on the vane on their barn roof to tell them the wind direction.
在天氣預報應用程式出現之前，農民靠穀倉屋頂上的風向標來判斷風向。
vane on barn roof — traditional wind indicator
Wei climbed onto the roof to fix the rusty weather vane so it would turn freely again.
Wei 爬上屋頂修理生鏽的風向標，好讓它重新自由轉動。
The iron weather vane on the town hall had been there for a century, slowly turning orange with rust.
市政廳屋頂上的鐵製風向標已經立在那裡超過一百年，鐵器逐漸生鏽變成橙色。
- weathercock
specifically a weather vane shaped like a rooster; more informal and less common
- wind vane
interchangeable with 'weather vane'; 'wind vane' sounds slightly more technical
文法句型
weather vane + on + [building]
vane + shows + [direction]
用法筆記
Often called a 'weather vane' or 'wind vane'. The word 'vane' alone usually refers to this device in everyday contexts. The decorative shape is often a rooster (a 'weathercock').
常見錯誤
❌ 'The vane shows which way the wind blows.' (correct but vague) — More natural: 'The weather vane on the roof shows the wind direction.' — Adding 'weather' makes the meaning clearer to most listeners.
3. The flat, soft part of a bird's feather, made of many thin strands called barbs
羽片；羽瓣
鳥類羽毛兩側的扁平部分
The flat, soft part of a bird's feather, made of many thin strands called barbs growing out from the central shaft. It is the part that gives the feather its shape and allows birds to fly.
Mei-Lin examined the blue feather under a magnifying glass and could see the tiny barbs that formed its vane.
Mei-Lin 用放大鏡仔細觀察那根藍色羽毛，可以看到形成羽片的微小羽枝。
examining feather vane under magnifying glass
A parrot preened its feathers carefully, using its beak to zip the vanes back together where they had split apart.
鸚鵡仔細地用喙梳理羽毛，把分裂開的羽片重新扣合在一起。
bird preening — zipping vane barbs together
When a feather loses its vane structure, the bird cannot fly as well because air passes straight through the gaps.
羽毛一旦失去羽片結構，鳥兒就無法順利飛行，因為空氣會直接穿過縫隙。
Sofia noticed the owl had a soft feather vane that helped it fly without making any sound.
Sofia 注意到貓頭鷹的柔軟羽片有助於牠無聲飛行。
文法句型
vane + of + the + feather
feather + vane
用法筆記
Technical term used mainly in biology and ornithology. In everyday English, people say 'the flat part of the feather' instead of 'the vane'.
4. A stabilizing piece, made of feather or plastic, at the rear of an arrow or miss
箭羽；尾翼
箭矢或飛彈尾部的穩定翼片
A stabilizing piece, made of feather or plastic, at the rear of an arrow or missile. It prevents the projectile from wobbling as it flies through the air.
Kwame checked the vanes on each arrow before the competition, making sure none of them were bent or broken.
Kwame 在比賽前仔細檢查每支箭的箭羽，確保沒有一片彎折或破損。
checking arrow vanes before competition
Modern arrows often use plastic vanes instead of turkey feathers because plastic lasts much longer in wet weather.
現代箭矢常用塑膠箭羽取代火雞羽毛，因為塑膠在潮濕天氣中耐用得多。
plastic vs feather vanes — durability comparison
Hassan glued a new red vane onto the end of the arrow carefully aligning it with the other two vanes.
Hassan 將一片新的紅色箭羽黏在箭尾上，小心地與另外兩片箭羽對齊。
The fins on the missile were not just decoration — each vane helped keep the weapon stable during flight.
飛彈上的翼片不只是裝飾——每片尾翼都有助於飛彈在飛行中保持穩定。
- fletching
refers to the entire set of vanes on an arrow, not one individual vane; also the name of the action of attaching vanes
- flight feather
used when the vane is made from a real bird feather; slightly more specific
- fin
more common for missiles and bombs; 'fin' sounds more modern, 'vane' sounds traditional
文法句型
[arrow/missile] + vane
vane + on + [arrow/missile]
用法筆記
In archery, 'fletching' is the common term for all the vanes on an arrow together. 'Vane' refers to one individual fin or feather. In military contexts, 'fin' is more common than 'vane'.