plumage

[ ploo-mij ]

/ ˈplu mɪdʒ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plumage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the entire feathery covering of a bird.

feathers collectively.

Nearby words

plum, plum curculio, plum duff, plum pudding, plum tomato, plumage, plumate, plumb, plumb bob, plumb joint, plumb line

Origin of plumage

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French. See plume, -age

Related forms

plum·aged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plumage

Every sort of pelt, skin, or plumage was part of this collection.
Milan Fashion Week’s Big Finale: Versace and Dolce & Gabbana Wow, While Armani Falls Short|Robin Givhan|February 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Cowell of yesteryear has plenty of time to return in all his plumage.
Ellen's First Night|Richard Rushfield|February 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The specific name griseus means gray, and probably has reference to the grayish color of the winter plumage.
Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 2 [February 1901]|Various
In this state the female is still well clothed, and little or no difference can be seen in the plumage unless examined.
Audubon and his Journals, Volume I (of 2)|Maria R. Audubon

Nothing in nature can exceed in splendour the plumage of the sugar-bird.
The Giraffe Hunters|Mayne Reid
They employ it as they do the parrot-fish, to give a different colour to the plumage of their parrots.
The Western World|W.H.G. Kingston
The plumage of the male after pairing is like that of the female.
The Natural History of Cage Birds|J. M. Bechstein

British Dictionary definitions for plumage

plumage

/ (ˈpluːmɪdʒ) /

noun

the layer of feathers covering the body of a bird

Word Origin for plumage

C15: from Old French, from plume feather, from Latin plūma down

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

Science definitions for plumage

plumage

[ plōō′mĭj ]

The covering of feathers on a bird.