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aftershaft

[af-ter-shaft, ahf-ter-shahft]
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noun Ornithology.
  1. a supplementary feather, usually small, arising from the underside of the base of the shafts of certain feathers in many birds.
  2. the shaft of such a feather.
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Origin of aftershaft

First recorded in 1865–70; after + shaft
Related formsaf·ter·shaft·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for aftershaft

Historical Examples

  • Only in the cassowary and emu among adult birds is the aftershaft as large as the main shaft.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for aftershaft

aftershaft

noun
  1. ornithol a secondary feather arising near the base of a contour feather
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012