Question of the Day #681

DeSantis-led anti-riot law seen as bellwether across the nation

From the headline of this article at The Capitolist.

上記の文で、bellwetherの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "bellwether" mean?

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Write your answer in the Comments.

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I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

1. 〔羊の群れを先導する〕鈴付き羊
2. 〔業界などの〕先導者、先導［指標］となるもの
3. 〈米〉〔流行などの〕先端を行く人［もの］

問題文の場合は、２番の意味になります。
また、下記例文でもわかるように、経済関係でよく使用される単語です。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bellwether

語源

英辞郎の１番目の訳の

〔羊の群れを先導する〕鈴付き羊

が現在頻繁に使用される意味の語源です。

Etymology

According to Merriam-Webster,

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.

Examples

• She is a bellwether of fashion.
• High-tech bellwethers led the decline in the stock market.
• The report is viewed as a bellwether for economic trends.
• The advertising sector is a bellwether for economic confidence given that it is a gauge of how much the world's companies are spending. Times, Sunday Times (2014)
• Birds are a bellwether of what is happening in the environment. — Richard Galant, CNN, 13 June 2021

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