plume

American  

[ploom] / plum /

noun

• plumes
  plural

1. 

   a feather.

2. a large, long, or conspicuous feather.

   the brilliant plume of a peacock.

3. a soft, fluffy feather.

   the plume of an egret.

4. any plumose part or formation.

5. a feather, a tuft of feathers, or some substitute, worn as an ornament, as on a hat, helmet, etc.

6. a feather or featherlike token of honor or distinction, especially one worn on a helmet.

7. plumage.

8. a vertically or longitudinally moving, rising, or expanding fluid body, as of smoke or water.

9. a visible pattern of smoke resulting from emissions from a stack, flue, or chimney.

10. Also called mantle plume. Geology. a deep-seated upwelling of magma within the earth's mantle.

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verb (used with object)

• plumes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plumed,
  past participle,  past
• pluming
  present participle

1. to furnish, cover, or adorn with plumes or feathers.

2. (of a bird) to preen (itself or its feathers).

3. to feel complacent satisfaction with (oneself ); pride (oneself ) (often followed by on orupon ).

   She sat before the mirror, pluming herself upon her beauty.

plume British  

/ pluːm /

noun

1. a feather, esp one that is large or ornamental

2. a feather or cluster of feathers worn esp formerly as a badge or ornament in a headband, hat, etc

3. biology any feathery part, such as the structure on certain fruits and seeds that aids dispersal by wind

4. something that resembles a plume

   a plume of smoke

5. a token or decoration of honour; prize

6. Also called: mantle plume. geology a rising column of hot, low viscosity material within the earth's mantle, which is believed to be responsible for linear oceanic island chains and flood basalts

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verb

1. to adorn or decorate with feathers or plumes

2. (of a bird) to clean or preen (itself or its feathers)

3. to pride or congratulate (oneself)

plume Scientific  

/ plo̅o̅m /

1. A feather, especially a large one.

2. A body of magma that rises from the Earth's mantle into the crust.

3. ◆ If a plume rises to the Earth's surface, it erupts as lava.

4. ◆ If it remains below the Earth's surface, it eventually solidifies into a body of rock known as a pluton.

5. An area in air, water, soil, or rock containing pollutants released from a single source. A plume often spreads in the environment due to the action of wind, currents, or gravity.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• replume
  verb (used with object)
• plumeless
  adjective
• plumelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plumes
  plural

Participles

• pluming
  present
• plumed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• plume
  simple
• plumes
  simple
• have plumed
  perfect
• has plumed
  perfect
• am pluming
  progressive
• are pluming
  progressive
• is pluming
  progressive
• have been pluming
  perfect progressive
• has been pluming
  perfect progressive

Past

• plumed
  simple
• had plumed
  perfect
• was pluming
  progressive
• were pluming
  progressive
• had been pluming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will plume
  simple
• will have plumed
  perfect
• will be pluming
  progressive
• will have been pluming
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of plume

1350–1400; earlier plome, plume, Middle English plume < Middle French < Latin plūma soft feather (> Old English plūm-, in plūmfether downy feather)

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Explanation

Think of a large, fluffy, colorful feather and you are imagining a plume, something that can be used decoratively, often in hats or vases, just as it creates a decorative element for the bird it comes from. We can trace the present word plume from the Old English word plūmfether. Going back further, we can find the Latin pluma meaning "feather" or "down." Plume is often applied to a large puff of smoke or any mass that spreads into the air from a single source. If you see a plume of smoke coming from the chimney, the fireplace is going. If you see a plume of smoke coming from the window, call the fire department.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plume plumes plumed pluming

Firefighters helped people evacuate through the windows as a plume a black smoke billowed out of the building.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Beyond the exclusion zone, people watch an impressive two kilometer-high plume rise into the sky – but it rapidly grows larger, and any sense of relief is short-lived.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Video from the airport showed the plane landing before disappearing from view, followed by a plume of black smoke.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

"There is no family that has not been affected," Zivic told AFP, as he watched a plume rise from a plant chimney in the nearby settlement of Plemetina.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Cassiopeia plucked the plume from her hair and held it out to the wolf.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Eventually her costume provides those around her with filmy plumes, to no pointed effect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Pasadena-based nonprofit Carbon Mapper, which partners with the state, can now check twice as often for climate-heating methane plumes, improving the emerging picture of this invisible gas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Footage on social media shows large plumes of smoke permeating through the streets of the village as sirens ring out.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

One night, a nearby pile of burning garbage sent plumes of smoke into the air, making her gag at the smell, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The fabric plumes around my legs, but down at the ankles I have to tug to get the tight cuffs over my long feet.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz

A naming contest has been launched for the two eaglets born this month to proud and plumed parents Jackie and Shadow, the widely followed Big Bear bald eagle pair whose lives are streamed online.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Black smoke plumed over a hill from a botanical gardens on the other side of the hill, he said, and within minutes their community was engulfed in tall orange flames.

From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2024

We were too far away, or were seated behind the choir, or had our view blocked by a guardsman in a plumed helmet.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2023

The Queen takes part in an annual procession with members of the order at Windsor Castle, wearing velvet robes and plumed hats.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2021

A blue- plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Stepping out of the truck, Avery looked up and saw flames and smoke pluming into the night sky.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2023

Elizabeth Leddy, 28, from Poole said: "The amount of smoke pluming out was like no heath fire I've seen before."

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2022

Crews arrived to find heavy fire and black smoke pluming from the single-level home.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021

As we’re now seeing again in other places, the skyline was pluming with smoke, and the National Guard drove in.

From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2020

Bearing down swiftly, dust pluming around them, the horses pounded in her direction.

From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper

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