aftershaft

[ af-ter-shaft, ahf-ter-shahft ]

nounOrnithology.

a supplementary feather, usually small, arising from the underside of the base of the shafts of certain feathers in many birds.
the shaft of such a feather.

Origin of aftershaft

First recorded in 1865–70; after + shaft

Other words from aftershaft

af·ter·shaft·ed, adjective

Words Nearby aftershaft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aftershaft in a sentence

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

/ (ˈɑːftəˌʃɑːft) /

noun

ornithol a secondary feather arising near the base of a contour feather

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

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