noun
- a feather, esp. a large, fluffy, or showy one
- a cluster of such feathers
- an ornament made of a large feather or feathers, or of a feathery tuft of hair, esp. when worn on a hat, helmet, etc. as a mark of distinction
- any token of worth or achievement; prize
- plumage or down
- something like a plume in shape or lightness: a plume of smoke
- Biol. a featherlike formation or part
- Geol. a plume-shaped mass of molten rock that rises through the crust from the mantle of the earth and causes volcanic activity
Origin:
OFr < L pluma, downy part of a feather, small soft feather < IE base *pleus-, to pluck out, fluff of wool, hair > fleece
transitive verb plumed, pluming
- to provide, cover, or adorn with plumes
- to smooth the feathers of (itself)
- to preen (its feathers): said of a bird
- to pride (oneself)