plumage
English
Etymology
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
- (UK) enPR: plo͞om'ĭj, IPA(key): /ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ/
Audio (UK) (file) - (obsolete) enPR: plyo͞om'ĭj, IPA(key): /ˈpljuːmɪd͡ʒ/
- Rhymes: -uːmɪdʒ
Noun
plumage (countable and uncountable, plural plumages)
- (ornithology, collective noun) Layer or collection of feathers covering a bird’s body; feathers used ornamentally; feathering.
- 1969, Monty Python, "Monty Python’s Flying Circus" (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.
- Synonym: (obsolete) pennage
- 1969, Monty Python, "Monty Python’s Flying Circus" (Dead Parrot sketch)
- Finery or elaborate dress.
Related terms
- deplume
- plumate
- plume
- plumelet
- plumose
- plumule
- plumy
Translations
collection of feathers covering a bird’s body
|
finery or elaborate dress
|
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ply.maʒ/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -aʒ
Noun
plumage m (plural plumages)
- (ornithology, collective noun) plumage (a bird's feathers, collectively speaking)
- Synonyms: (falconry) pennage, plumée
Related terms
- déplumer
- emplumer
- plumaison, plumée (déplumage)
- plumer
Further reading
- “plumage”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.