flight feather

American

noun

Ornithology.

one of the large, stiff feathers of the wing and tail of a bird that are essential to flight.

flight feather British

noun

any of the large stiff feathers that cover the wings and tail of a bird and are adapted for flying

"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

Etymology

Origin of flight feather

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I draw them without thinking—flight, flight, feather, wing.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

White with part of each flight feather black, and with down of pale buff, it is a handsome bird, strong and firm of flesh, and possesses remarkable powers on the wing.

From Confessions of a Beachcomber by Banfield, E. J. (Edmund James)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023