plumage
Americannoun
-
the entire feathery covering of a bird.
-
feathers collectively.
noun
Other Word 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.
Their structure appears to fall somewhere between the plumage of enantiornithines and that of modern birds.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
He was in molt, a sketchy splotch of red and black while he waited for his new plumage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Betye Saar practically levitates into the room wearing a Max Mara jacket that resembles a bird’s plumage, with a butter-yellow silk Dior dress grazing the ground behind her and a cane in her hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
The birds' plumage was used to decorate women's clothes and headdresses, while eggs were being taken for various reasons, including collectors.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
The drape covering the blinds also had peacocks on it, only they faced forward, their plumage spread into a thousand blue-green eyes that seemed to watch us.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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.
