feathering

American  

[feth-er-ing] / ˈfɛð ər ɪŋ /

noun

1. a covering of feathers; plumage.

2. the arrangement of feathers on an arrow.

3. Music. a very light and delicate use of the violin bow.

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feathering British  

/ ˈfɛðərɪŋ /

noun

1. the plumage of a bird; feathers

2. another word for feathers

3. printing

   1. an imperfection in print caused by the spreading of ink

   2. the use of additional space between lines in typesetting in order to fill the page

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Other Word Forms

• underfeathering noun

Etymology

Origin of feathering

First recorded in 1520–30; feather + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Traditionally, skiers negotiate the steepest terrain of a course by feathering their skis at a slight diagonal and elongating their stride to help them conserve energy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

The Australian skipper removed him for a 13th time in Tests, more than any other bowler, with a furious Root berating himself after prodding at a full delivery and feathering to Carey.

From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025

"Following the un-intentional feathering of both engine propellers, the flight crew failed to identify the problem and take corrective actions despite the Crew Alerting Panel cautions," the report said.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2023

Pull that off consistently — and, even more challenging, using just front or just rear brakes — and you’ve found the sweet spot for feathering your brakes as you whip down a trail.

From Seattle Times • May 25, 2022

It was at work upon the feathering of his shafts that the first of the reporters found him.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley