feathering

[feth-er-ing]

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.

ˈfeathering

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• underfeathering noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of feathering¹

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

Example Sentences

One abominable practice used on political adversaries was tarring and feathering.

From Salon

On Wednesday, Mr Higginson warned: "I'm guaranteeing you today, if these go through as they are without any sort of feathering, we’re going to see significant inflation in prices."

From BBC

That’s why watching the Democrats dissolve into a puddle of tears on a nationwide stage while tar and feathering their own president is both entertaining and horrifying.

From Salon

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

From BBC

The pilots had likely put the condition levers, which control power, in the feathering position instead of selecting the flap lever, he explained.

From BBC