plume

name

1. A surname

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *plew- Proto-Indo-European *plewk-der. Proto-Indo-European *plewk-smeh₂ Proto-Italic *plouksmā Latin plūma Anglo-Norman plumebor. Middle English plume English plume From Late Middle English plum, plume (“feather; plumage”), from Anglo-Norman plum, plume, from Old French plume, plome (“feather, plumage”), from Latin plūma (“feather, plumage”) (compare Late Latin plūma (“pen, quill”)), from Proto-Italic *plouksmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to fly”). Doublet of pluma.

1. A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one used as a decoration.

   “Near-synonym: aigrette”

   “Under a Coronet his flowing haire / In curles on either cheek plaid, wings he wore / Of many a colourd plume ſprinkl'd with Gold, / His habit fit for ſpeed ſuccinct, and held / Before his decent ſteps a Silver wand.”

2. A cluster of feathers worn as an ornament, especially on a helmet; a hackle.

   “Near-synonym: aigrette”

   “The fearful infant turn'd his head away, / And on his nurſe's neck reclining lay, / His unknown father ſhunning with affright, / And looking back on ſo uncouth a ſight; / Daunted to ſee a face with ſteel o'er-ſpread, / And his high plume that nodded o'er his head.”

3. A token of honour or prowess; that on which one prides oneself; a prize or reward.

   “But well thou comſt / Before thy fellows, ambitious to win / From me ſom Plume, that thy ſucceſs may ſhow / Deſtruction to the reſt: […]”

4. The vane (“flattened, web-like part”) of a feather, especially when on a quill pen or the fletching of an arrow.
5. Ellipsis of plume moth (“a small, slender moth of the family Pterophoridae”).
6. Things resembling a feather.

   “Tidal gravitational effects cause plumes of sodium silicate to erupt from Elaaden's core, depositing unusually pure silicon sand across the surface—invaluable for manufacturing high-performance computer hardware.”

7. Things resembling a feather.

   “After the explosion, a plume of smoke could be seen in the sky for miles around.”

   “The pollutant creates a contaminant plume within an aquifer.”

8. Things resembling a feather.
9. Things resembling a feather.
10. Things resembling a feather.
11. Things resembling a feather.
12. Things resembling a feather.
13. Things resembling a feather.

verb

Etymology: Sense 1 (“to adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes”) is derived from Anglo-Norman plumer (“to cover with or provide with feathers”), or its etymon Latin plūmāre, the present active infinitive of plūmō (“to grow feathers, to fledge; to cover with feathers, to feather; to embroider with a feathery pattern”) (and compare Late Latin plūmō (“to attach feathers to arrows; of a hawk: to pluck the feathers from prey; (figurative) to celebrate, praise”)), from plūma (“feather; plumage; down”) (see etymology 1) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). Senses 2–4 (“to arrange and preen the feathers of; to congratulate (oneself) proudly; to strip of feathers”) are from Late Middle English plumen (“to remove the feathers from a bird; of a hawk: to pluck the feathers or the head from prey”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman and Middle French plumer (“to remove the feathers from a bird; to pull out (hairs, especially from a moustache); to rob”), from plūma (see etymology 1). Sense 5 (“to fan out or spread in a cloud”) is derived from plume (noun).

1. To adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes, or as if with feathers or plumes.
2. Chiefly of a bird: to arrange and preen the feathers of, specifically in preparation for flight; hence (figurative), to prepare for (something).

   “I make no doubt she has made the best of her way back to the hospitable hall of Sir Watkyn Williams Wynne; and may very possibly be pluming her wings, at this present writing, among the breezy bowers of Wynnstay.”

   “I bless thee that thy angel-presence still infolds me here! / Forgive me, ere thy spirit plumest for the heavenly sphere.”

3. To congratulate (oneself) proudly, especially concerning something unimportant or when taking credit for another person's effort; to self-congratulate; to preen.

   “He plumes himself on his skill.”

   “pride and plume himself in his Deformities”

4. To strip (a bird) of feathers; to pluck.

   “the king cared not to plume his nobility”

   “They wou'd have plum'd his eagles on the field”

5. To strip (a bird) of feathers; to pluck.
6. To strip (a bird) of feathers; to pluck.

   “The hauke proineth when ſhe fetcheth oyle with her beake over the taile, and anointeth her feet and her fethers. She plumeth when ſhe pulleth fethers of anie foule and caſteth them from her.”

7. Of a dispersed substance such as dust or smoke: to fan out or spread in a cloud.

   “Smoke plumed from his pipe, then slowly settled towards the floor.”