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# The BFD Word of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-bfd-word-of-the-day-984/
- Published: 2022-10-09T17:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2022-08-07T18:27:21.000Z
- Author: David Theobald
- Tags: General, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-16 22:48

The word for today is…

bellwether (noun):

: one that takes the lead or initiative : leader

Source : [Merriam -Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bellwether?ref=goodoil.news)

Etymology :We usually think of sheep more as followers than leaders, but in a flock one sheep must lead the way. Long ago, it was 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 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 that has been castrated). 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.

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