plumage
English edit
Etymology edit
From Old French plumage (14c.), itself from plume (“feather”) (from Latin plūma (“feather, down”), from a Proto-Indo-European base *plews- (“to pluck, a feather, fleece”) + -age.
Pronunciation edit
- (UK) enPR: plo͞om'ĭj, IPA(key): /ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - (obsolete) enPR: plyo͞om'ĭj, IPA(key): /ˈpljuːmɪd͡ʒ/
- Rhymes: -uːmɪdʒ
Noun edit
plumage (countable and uncountable, plural plumages)
- (ornithology, collective noun) Layer or collection of feathers covering a bird’s body; feathers used ornamentally; feathering.
- Synonym: (obsolete) pennage
- 1969, Monty Python, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”, in Dead Parrot sketch:
- [Owner]: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage!
[Mr. Praline]: The plumage don't enter into it. It's stone dead.
- Finery or elaborate dress.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
collection of feathers covering a bird’s body
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finery or elaborate dress
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French edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
plumage m (plural plumages)
- (ornithology, collective noun) plumage (a bird's feathers, collectively speaking)
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “plumage”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.