plumage
Americannoun
-
the entire feathery covering of a bird.
-
feathers collectively.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of plumage
1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French. See plume, -age
Explanation
If you like the looks of the color and pattern formed by a bird’s feathers, then you like its plumage. The word plumage traces back to the French word plume, meaning feather, and it’s a way of referring to all the feathers that form the color and patterns of a particular bird. For example, birdwatchers study illustrations of birds so that they can recognize, say, a golden hawk in flight by its plumage.
Vocabulary lists containing plumage
Words of a Feather: Unflappable Avian Vocabulary
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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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.
Plumage might have been their key adaptation, Olsen argues.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 30, 2022
Such was the carnage that in 1889 Emily Williamson founded the Plumage League for women who refused to wear them.
From The Guardian • Oct. 7, 2018
New Book Brings Joyful Splash of Plumage, Real and Imagined A book of birds, real and otherwise, hatched from the imagination of the artist Ralph Steadman, is bound to be a feast for the eyes.
From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2012
Plumage In Havana, a Mrs. Bernard Duis bought two bright, lively birds whose plumage matched her red hair.
From Time Magazine Archive
Immature Plumage: Dark and much streaked with brownish; bill darker.
From Wild Birds in City Parks Being hints on identifying 145 birds, prepared primarily for the spring migration in Lincoln Park, Chicago by Walter, Alice Hall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
