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¹feather

noun feath·er \ˈfe-thər\

: any one of the light growths that make up the outer covering of the body of a bird

Full Definition of FEATHER

a : any of the light horny epidermal outgrowths that form the external covering of the body of birds and that consist of a shaft bearing on each side a series of barbs which bear barbules which in turn bear barbicels commonly ending in hooked hamuli and interlocking with the barbules of an adjacent barb to link the barbs into a continuous vane

b archaic : plume 2a

c : the vane of an arrow

a : plumage

b : kind, nature <birds of a feather flock together>

c : attire, dress

d : condition, mood <woke up in fine feather>

e plural : composure <some feathers had been ruffled — D. J. Blum>

: feathering 2

: a projecting strip, rib, fin, or flange

: a feathery flaw in the eye or in a precious stone

: the act of feathering an oar

— feath·ered \-thərd\ adjective

— feath·er·less adjective

— a feather in one's cap

: a mark of distinction : honor

See feather defined for English-language learners

See feather defined for kids

Illustration of FEATHER

Origin of FEATHER

Middle English fether, from Old English; akin to Old High German federa wing, Latin petere to go to, seek, Greek petesthai to fly, piptein to fall, pteron wing

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to FEATHER

Synonyms: breed, class, description, sort, genre, ilk, kidney, kind, like, manner, nature, order, species, strain, stripe, type, variety

Other Birds Terms

aerie, bunting, clutch, covey, hackle, ratite, rictus, ruff, skein, zygodactyl

Rhymes with FEATHER

heather, leather, nether, tether, weather, wether, whether

²feather

verb

: to put a feather in or on (something)

feath·eredfeath·er·ing \ˈfeth-riŋ, ˈfe-thə-\

Full Definition of FEATHER

transitive verb

a : to furnish (as an arrow) with a feather

b : to cover, clothe, or adorn with or as if with feathers

a : to turn (an oar blade) almost horizontal when lifting from the water at the end of a stroke to reduce air resistance

b (1) : to change the angle of (airplane propeller blades) so that the chords become approximately parallel to the line of flight; also : to change the angle of airplane propeller blades of (an engine) in such a manner (2) : to change the angle of (a rotor blade of a rotorcraft) periodically in forward flight

: to reduce the edge of to a featheredge

: to cut (as air) with or as if with a wing

: to join by a tongue and groove

: to hit, throw, pass, or shoot softly and usually with precision <feathered a perfect lob over the net>

intransitive verb

: to grow or form feathers

: to have or take on the appearance of a feather or something feathered

: to soak in and spread : blur —used of ink or a printed impression

: to feather an oar or an airplane propeller blade

— feather one's nest

: to provide for oneself especially financially by unethically exploiting a position of trust

See feather defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of FEATHER

13th century

Feather

geographical name Feath·er \ˈfe-thər\

Definition of FEATHER

river 100 miles (161 kilometers) N cen California flowing S into Sacramento River

FEATHERED Defined for Kids

¹feather

noun feath·er \ˈfe-thər\

Definition of FEATHER for Kids

: one of the light horny growths that make up the outer covering of a bird

— feath·ered \-thərd\ adjective

²feather

verb

feath·eredfeath·er·ing

Definition of FEATHER for Kids

: to provide or decorate with feathers

: to grow or form feathers

Medical Dictionary

feather

noun feath·er \ˈfeth-ər\

Medical Definition of FEATHER

: one of the light horny epidermal outgrowths that form the external covering of the body of birds and that consist of a shaft bearing on each side a series of barbs which bear barbules which in turn bear barbicels commonly ending in the hooked processes and interlocking with the barbules of an adjacent barb to link the barbs into a continuous vane

—feath·ered \-ərd\ adjective