swansdown

[ swonz-doun ]

noun

the down or under plumage of a swan, used for trimming, powder puffs, etc.
a fine, soft, thick woolen cloth.

a sturdy cotton flannel with a thickly napped face.

Origin of swansdown

First recorded in 1600–10; swan¹ + 's¹ + down²

Words Nearby swansdown

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swansdown in a sentence

Although the month was September, and the weather warm even for September, a swansdown quilt lay spread upon his knees.
The Regent | E. Arnold Bennett
Edward Henry leaped from his chair, and the swansdown quilt swathed his slippered feet.
The Regent | E. Arnold Bennett
I am like the man in Browning who mourned over the spots upon his ‘speckled hide,’ but rejoiced in the swansdown of his lady.
A Duet | Arthur Conan Doyle
Roberta's scarlet hood, edged with swansdown, was pushed back, and her hair lay in fluffy golden rings on her white forehead.
That Old-Time Child, Roberta | Sophie Fox Sea
Her shoulders were negligently clad in a satin wrap trimmed with swansdown, held in place by a loosely tied knot of silk.
The Precipice | Ivan Goncharov

British Dictionary definitions for swan's-down

swan's-down

noun

the fine soft down feathers of a swan, used to trim powder puffs, clothes, etc
a thick soft fabric of wool with silk, cotton, or rayon, used for infants' clothing, etc

a cotton fabric with a heavy nap

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

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