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Webster 1913 Edition

Plume

Plume

,
Noun.
[F., fr. L.
pluma
. Cf.
Fly
,
Verb.
]
1.
A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long, conspicuous, or handsome feather.
Wings . . . of many a colored
plume
.
Milton.
2.
(Zool.)
An ornamental tuft of feathers.
3.
A feather, or group of feathers, worn as an ornament; a waving ornament of hair, or other material resembling feathers.
His high
plume
, that nodded o’er his head.
Dryden.
4.
A token of honor or prowess; that on which one prides himself; a prize or reward.
“Ambitious to win from me some plume.”
Milton.
5.
(Bot.)
A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses.
Plume bird
(Zool.)
,
any bird that yields ornamental plumes, especially the species of Epimarchus from New Guinea, and some of the herons and egrets, as the white heron of Florida (
Ardea candidissima
).
–
Plume grass
.
(Bot)
(a)
A kind of grass (
Erianthus saccharoides
) with the spikelets arranged in great silky plumes, growing in swamps in the Southern United States
.
(b)
The still finer
Erianthus Ravennæ
from the Mediterranean region. The name is sometimes extended to the whole genus.
–
Plume moth
(Zool.)
,
any one of numerous small, slender moths, belonging to the family
Pterophoridæ
. Most of them have the wings deeply divided into two or more plumelike lobes. Some species are injurious to the grapevine.
–
Plume nutmeg
(Bot.)
,
an aromatic Australian tree (
Atherosperma moschata
), whose numerous carpels are tipped with long plumose persistent styles.

Plume

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Plumed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Pluming
.]
[Cf. F.
plumer
to pluck, to strip, L.
plumare
to cover with feathers.]
1.
To pick and adjust the plumes or feathers of; to dress or prink.
Pluming
her wings among the breezy bowers.
W. Irving.
2.
To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel.
[Obs.]
Bacon. Dryden.
3.
To adorn with feathers or plumes.
“Farewell the plumed troop.”
Shak.
4.
To pride; to vaunt; to boast; – used reflexively;
as, he
plumes
himself on his skill
.
South.
Plumed adder
(Zool.)
,
an African viper (
Vipera cornuta
, syn.
Clotho cornuta
), having a plumelike structure over each eye. It is venomous, and is related to the African puff adder. Called also
horned viper
and
hornsman
.
–
Plumed partridge
(Zool.)
,
the California mountain quail (
Oreortyx pictus
). See
Mountain quail
, under
Mountain
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Plume

PLUME

,
Noun.
[L. pluma.]
1.
The feather of a fowl, particularly a large feather.
2.
A feather worn as an ornament, particularly an ostrich's feather.
And his high plume that nodded o'er his head.
3.
Pride; towering mien.
4.
Token of honor; prize of contest.
Ambitious to win from me some plume.

PLUME

Definition 2024

plume

plume

See also: plumé and plūme

English

Noun

plume ‎(plural plumes)

  1. A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one.
    • Milton
      wings […] of many a coloured plume
  2. The furry tail of certain dog breeds (e.g. Samoyed, Malteagle) that stands erect or curls over their backs.
  3. A cluster of feathers worn as an ornament, especially on a helmet.
    • Dryden
      his high plume, that nodded o'er his head
  4. A token of honour or prowess; that on which one prides oneself; a prize or reward.
    • Milton
      ambitious to win from me some plume
  5. An area over which (or aspace into which) a dispersed substance has spread or fanned out; a cloud.
    • The pollutant creates a contaminant plume within an aquifer.
    • After the explosion, a plume of smoke could be seen in the sky for miles around.
  6. An upward spray of water or mist.
  7. (geology) An upwelling of molten material from the Earth's mantle.
  8. (astronomy) An arc of glowing material erupting from the surface of a star.
  9. A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

plume ‎(third-person singular simple present plumes, present participle pluming, simple past and past participle plumed)

  1. (transitive) To preen and arrange the feathers of.
    • Washington Irving
      pluming her wings among the breezy bowers
  2. (transitive) To congratulate (oneself) proudly.
    He plumes himself on his skill.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of South to this entry?)
  3. To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)
  4. To adorn with feathers or plumes.
    • Shakespeare
      Farewell the plumed troop.
  5. To form a plume.
    Smoke plumed from his pipe then slowly settled towards the floor.
  6. To write; to pen.

Translations

French

Etymology

From Old French plume, from Latin plūma.

plume (1)
plumes (3)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /plym/

Noun

plume f ‎(plural plumes)

  1. feather
  2. quill
  3. nib, the writing end of a fountain pen or a dip pen

Derived terms

Descendants

Verb

plume

  1. first-person singular present indicative of plumer
  2. third-person singular present indicative of plumer
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of plumer
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of plumer
  5. second-person singular imperative of plumer

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin plūma.

Noun

plume f ‎(plural plumis)

  1. plume, feather

Synonyms

Old French

Etymology

From Latin plūma.

Noun

plume f ‎(oblique plural plumes, nominative singular plume, nominative plural plumes)

  1. feather; plume

Descendants

Etymology

From Latin pluma ‎(“feather”) via Old French plume.

Pronunciation

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