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

The bird is leucistic, which means it lacks pigment in its feathering.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2024

Kartye was even out killing penalties, blocking a Philip Broberg wrist shot and then racing up ice and feathering a pass to Cale Fleury off a 2-on-1 break after he’d stepped out of the box.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 3, 2023

There was a column of wood-smoke feathering up from the kitchen chimney, a sign that Jenny was already making preparations for a hearty noon meal.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt