plume

American  

[ploom] / plum /

noun

• plumes
  plural

1. 

   a feather.

2. a large, long, or conspicuous feather.

   the brilliant plume of a peacock.

3. a soft, fluffy feather.

   the plume of an egret.

4. any plumose part or formation.

5. a feather, a tuft of feathers, or some substitute, worn as an ornament, as on a hat, helmet, etc.

6. a feather or featherlike token of honor or distinction, especially one worn on a helmet.

7. plumage.

8. a vertically or longitudinally moving, rising, or expanding fluid body, as of smoke or water.

9. a visible pattern of smoke resulting from emissions from a stack, flue, or chimney.

10. Also called mantle plume. Geology. a deep-seated upwelling of magma within the earth's mantle.

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verb (used with object)

• plumes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plumed,
  past participle,  past
• pluming
  present participle

1. to furnish, cover, or adorn with plumes or feathers.

2. (of a bird) to preen (itself or its feathers).

3. to feel complacent satisfaction with (oneself ); pride (oneself ) (often followed by on orupon ).

   She sat before the mirror, pluming herself upon her beauty.

plume British  

/ pluːm /

noun

1. a feather, esp one that is large or ornamental

2. a feather or cluster of feathers worn esp formerly as a badge or ornament in a headband, hat, etc

3. biology any feathery part, such as the structure on certain fruits and seeds that aids dispersal by wind

4. something that resembles a plume

   a plume of smoke

5. a token or decoration of honour; prize

6. Also called: mantle plume. geology a rising column of hot, low viscosity material within the earth's mantle, which is believed to be responsible for linear oceanic island chains and flood basalts

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verb

1. to adorn or decorate with feathers or plumes

2. (of a bird) to clean or preen (itself or its feathers)

3. to pride or congratulate (oneself)

plume Scientific  

/ plo̅o̅m /

1. A feather, especially a large one.

2. A body of magma that rises from the Earth's mantle into the crust.

3. ◆ If a plume rises to the Earth's surface, it erupts as lava.

4. ◆ If it remains below the Earth's surface, it eventually solidifies into a body of rock known as a pluton.

5. An area in air, water, soil, or rock containing pollutants released from a single source. A plume often spreads in the environment due to the action of wind, currents, or gravity.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• replume
  verb (used with object)
• plumeless
  adjective
• plumelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plumes
  plural

Participles

• pluming
  present
• plumed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• plume
  simple
• plumes
  simple
• have plumed
  perfect
• has plumed
  perfect
• am pluming
  progressive
• are pluming
  progressive
• is pluming
  progressive
• have been pluming
  perfect progressive
• has been pluming
  perfect progressive

Past

• plumed
  simple
• had plumed
  perfect
• was pluming
  progressive
• were pluming
  progressive
• had been pluming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will plume
  simple
• will have plumed
  perfect
• will be pluming
  progressive
• will have been pluming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of plume

1350–1400; earlier plome, plume, Middle English plume < Middle French < Latin plūma soft feather (> Old English plūm-, in plūmfether downy feather)

Explanation

Think of a large, fluffy, colorful feather and you are imagining a plume, something that can be used decoratively, often in hats or vases, just as it creates a decorative element for the bird it comes from. We can trace the present word plume from the Old English word plūmfether. Going back further, we can find the Latin pluma meaning "feather" or "down." Plume is often applied to a large puff of smoke or any mass that spreads into the air from a single source. If you see a plume of smoke coming from the chimney, the fireplace is going. If you see a plume of smoke coming from the window, call the fire department.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plume plumes plumed pluming

The immense umbrella cloud that forms does not behave like a normal ash plume that simply drifts with the prevailing wind.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Video from the airport showed the plane landing before disappearing from view, followed by a plume of black smoke.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

Cars and batteries and plastics and metals and other things were incinerated, and a toxic plume traveled for miles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

"There is no family that has not been affected," Zivic told AFP, as he watched a plume rise from a plant chimney in the nearby settlement of Plemetina.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

She glanced at the sky, where a long dark plume of smoke rose above the rooftops and long graceful necks of sauropods.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Pasadena-based nonprofit Carbon Mapper, which partners with the state, can now check twice as often for climate-heating methane plumes, improving the emerging picture of this invisible gas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Environmental specialist Peter Cunningham told AFP that potential sediment plumes could impact rocky shoreline habitats, crayfish spawning and breeding species.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Sure, the production has all the paraphernalia a major pop tour - big sets, plumes of smoke, inspired choreography - but there are long stretches where it's just Grande on stage with her band.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

One night, a nearby pile of burning garbage sent plumes of smoke into the air, making her gag at the smell, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Northwest of downtown, in the old Scandinavian neighborhood of Ballard, tugboats belching plumes of black smoke nosed long rafts of logs into the locks that would raise them to the level of Lake Washington.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

A naming contest has been launched for the two eaglets born earlier this month to proud and plumed parents Jackie and Shadow, the widely followed bald eagle pair whose lives are streamed online.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

We were too far away, or were seated behind the choir, or had our view blocked by a guardsman in a plumed helmet.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2023

Also, there’s a 1930 picture in which British actress Isla Bevan holds a large, fancily plumed bird.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2022

“It’s pretty simple,” says Cowan, whose spring 2022 collection featured baby blue sequined bandanna tops and plumed headpieces in, yes, neon pink.

From New York Times ● Feb. 14, 2022

They all ride to glory, all the plumed knights.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

Stepping out of the truck, Avery looked up and saw flames and smoke pluming into the night sky.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2023

Elizabeth Leddy, 28, from Poole said: "The amount of smoke pluming out was like no heath fire I've seen before."

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2022

Crews arrived to find heavy fire and black smoke pluming from the single-level home.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021

“I’m not very good,” he laughs, his breath pluming the air.

From New York Times ● Feb. 22, 2020

Following the voice, I found my father standing in the street in a soggy sweater, breath pluming before him like muffler exhaust on a cold morning.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs