plume
UK /ˈpluːm/ · US /ˈplum/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms plumes pluming plumed plumest plumedst plumeth
- noun (archaic, literary and poetic) A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one used as a decoration.
- noun (archaic, literary and poetic) A cluster of feathers worn as an ornament, especially on a helmet; a hackle.
- noun (figurative) A token of honour or prowess; that on which one prides oneself; a prize or reward.
- noun The vane (“flattened, web-like part”) of a feather, especially when on a quill pen or the fletching of an arrow.
- noun Things resembling a feather.
- noun A cloud formed by a dispersed substance fanning out or spreading. “After the explosion, a plume of smoke could be seen in the sky for miles around.”
- noun An upward spray of mist or water.
- noun (astronomy) An arc of glowing material (chiefly gases) erupting from the surface of a star.
- verb (transitive, also figurative) To adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes, or as if with feathers or plumes.
- verb (transitive, reflexive) Chiefly of a bird: to arrange and preen the feathers of, specifically in preparation for flight; hence (figurative), to prepare for (something).
- verb (transitive, reflexive, by extension) To congratulate (oneself) proudly, especially concerning something unimportant or when taking credit for another person's effort; to self-congratulate; to preen. “He plumes himself on his skill.”
- verb (transitive, archaic) To strip (a bird) of feathers; to pluck.
- verb (by extension) To peel, to strip completely; to pillage; also, to deprive of power.
- verb (falconry, obsolete) Of a hawk: to pluck the feathers from prey.
- verb (intransitive) Of a dispersed substance such as dust or smoke: to fan out or spread in a cloud. “Smoke plumed from his pipe, then slowly settled towards the floor.”
- proper noun A surname
Synonyms
aigrette feather in one's cap feather fledge unplume plumage overcharge soak surcharge gazump fleece pluck rob hook pride congratulate preen primp dress
Etymology
From Late Middle English plum, plume (“feather; plumage”), from Anglo-Norman plum, plume, from Old French plume, plome (“feather, plumage”), from Latin plūma (“feather, plumage”) (compare Late Latin plūma (“pen, quill”)), from Proto-Italic *plouksmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to fly”). Doublet of pluma.
Sense 1 (“to adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes”) is derived from Anglo-Norman plumer (“to cover with or provide with feathers”), or its etymon Latin plūmāre, the present active infinitive of plūmō (“to grow feathers, to fledge; to cover with feathers, to feather; to embroider with a feathery pattern”) (and compare Late Latin plūmō (“to attach feathers to arrows; of a hawk: to pluck the feathers from prey; (figurative) to celebrate, praise”)), from plūma (“feather; plumage; down”) (see etymology 1) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).
Senses 2–4 (“to arrange and preen the feathers of; to congratulate (oneself) proudly; to strip of feathers”) are from Late Middle English plumen (“to remove the feathers from a bird; of a hawk: to pluck the feathers or the head from prey”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman and Middle French plumer (“to remove the feathers from a bird; to pull out (hairs, especially from a moustache); to rob”), from plūma (see etymology 1).
Sense 5 (“to fan out or spread in a cloud”) is derived from plume (noun).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long, conspicuous, or handsome feather.
- noun An ornamental tuft of feathers.
- verb To pick and adjust the plumes or feathers of; to dress or prink.
- verb To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel. [Obs.] Bacon. Dryden.
Etymology [F., fr. L. pluma. Cf. Fly, v.]
Etymology [Cf. F. plumer to pluck, to strip, L. plumare to cover with feathers.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “plume”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details