fledge
[flej]
- to bring up (a young bird) until it is able to fly.
- to furnish with or as if with feathers or plumage.
- to provide (an arrow) with feathers.
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- (of a young bird) to acquire the feathers necessary for flight.
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- Archaic. (of young birds) able to fly.
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Origin of fledge
1350–1400; Middle English flegge (fully-)fledged, Old English *flecge, as variant of -flycge; cognate with Old High German flucki, Middle Low German vlügge (> German flügge); akin to fly1
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for fledging
Contemporary Examples
But come June, the fledging African-American cable network Aspire wants you to have choices.
Block was Wisconsin state director for the fledging Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group funded by the Koch brothers.
Now, that hubris might lead to the dismantling of her fledging cartel, as the Argentine police claim to be hot on her tracks.
Historical Examples
If the nest was started on June 20, then renesting took place within 15 hours after fledging.
The young at fledging are usually completely feathered, but have notably short tails and relatively short, stubby wings.
Human interference may have been largely responsible for the fledging of the young at nine days.
In fledging arrows Ishi used eagle, buzzard, hawk or flicker feathers.
Hunting with the Bow and ArrowSaxton Pope
This is made by constructing the usual blunt screw-headed shaft and fledging it with wide uncut feathers.
Hunting with the Bow and ArrowSaxton Pope
fledge
- (tr) to feed and care for (a young bird) until it is able to fly
- Also called: fletch (tr) to fit (something, esp an arrow) with a feather or feathers
- (intr) (of a young bird) to grow feathers
- (tr) to cover or adorn with or as if with feathers
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Word Origin
Old English -flycge, as in unflycge unfledged; related to Old High German flucki able to fly; see fly 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for fledging
fledge
v.
Old English *-flycge (Kentish -flecge),an adjective meaning "having the feathers, fit to fly," from West Germanic *fluggja- (cf. Middle Dutch vlugge, Low German flügge), from root meaning "to fly" (see fly (v.)). As a verb, it is first attested in English 1560s. Related: Fledged; fledging.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper