feather

1 of 2

noun

feath·​er ˈfe-t͟hər 

1

a

: any of the light, horny, epidermal outgrowths that form the external covering of the body of birds

Note: Feathers include the smaller down feathers and the larger contour and flight feathers. Larger feathers consist of a shaft (rachis) bearing branches (barbs) which bear smaller branches (barbules). These smaller branches bear tiny hook-bearing processes (barbicels) which interlock with the barbules of an adjacent barb to link the barbs into a continuous stiff vane. Down feathers lack barbules, resulting in fluffy feathers which provide insulation below the contour feathers.

b

archaic : plume sense 2a

c

: the vane of an arrow

2

a

: plumage

b

: kind, nature

birds of a feather flock together

c

: attire, dress

d

: condition, mood

woke up in fine feather

e

feathers plural : composure

some feathers had been ruffled

—D. J. Blum

3

: feathering sense 2

4

: a projecting strip, rib, fin, or flange

5

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

6

: the act of feathering an oar

featherless adjective

Illustration of feather

• A-1 quill
• A-2 vane; B-1 barb
• B-2 barbule
• B-3 barbicel with hamulus

feather

2 of 2

verb

feathered; feathering ˈfet͟h-riŋ 

ˈfe-t͟hə-

transitive verb

1

a

: to furnish (something, such as an arrow) with a feather

b

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

2

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

3

: to reduce the edge of to a featheredge

4

a

of a bird : to cut (the air) with a wing

b

of a fish : to cut (the water) with a fin

5

: to join by a tongue and groove

6

: to hit, throw, pass, or shoot softly and usually with precision

feathered a perfect lob over the net

intransitive verb

1

: to grow or form feathers

2

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

3

: to soak in and spread : blur

—used of ink or a printed impression

4

: to feather an oar or an airplane propeller blade

Phrases

a feather in one's cap

: a mark of distinction : honor

feather one's nest

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

Synonyms

Noun

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

Examples of feather in a Sentence

Noun

they are a very sports-minded couple, and most of their friends are of the same feather

prom couples strutted into the ballroom in full feather

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Yearwood's ankle-length turtleneck dress was covered in black sequins and the long sleeves ended in tons of gorgeous feathers for added drama. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024

Her way of being ruffles the feathers of pious, uptight neighbor Edith (Colman) who tsks-tsks nearly everyone for not climbing to the highest moral ground. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024

Male birds sport rays of magenta feathers on their throats. —Sarah Linn, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024

Bathing is also an important way for birds to maintain their feathers. —Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024

Panda 4’s popularity is a nice feather in Dreamworks’ cap to kick off the year. —Mark Hughes, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Once on the platform, the tiger shark regurgitated feathers. —Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024

For both of the purebred species, their pale feathers get their color not from pigment, but from a unique structure. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024

The birds, known for their bright red feathers, earned their name from the scarlet garments worn by cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. More:What bird is this? —Cecilia Garzella, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024

Verb

Philadelphia tied it less than three minutes later when Travis Konecny feathered a pass into the slot, where Farabee redirected it past Fleury. —Patrick Donnelly, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024

But feathering the edges and rounding over corners helps ensure that the new paint is uniformly thick, thus resistant to cracking. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2024

All this is to say that the adoration of animals — furry, feathered, or otherwise — is a part of our history, tracing back thousands and thousands of years. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024

The Golden Globes red carpet has also been the scene of many a fashion moment over the years, from Julia Roberts’s pinstriped skirt suit in 1991, to Nicole Kidman’s peacock feathered Gucci dress in 2005, and Natalie Portman’s rose embellished Viktor & Rolf in 2011. —Vogue, 7 Jan. 2024

For the Latin Grammy Awards in Seville, Spain, the pop star opted to turn heads with the help of brows on a new generation of fleek, each feathered and segmented to artful effect. —Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023

None of us were tarred and feathered for simply asking the question. —Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023

Fossils of complete skeletons, bird parts preserved in amber and new techniques to compare the extinct birds with their living counterparts are allowing researchers to flesh out how these feathered, flying, toothy dinosaurs spread throughout the ancient world. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Oct. 2023

From the outset indicating the centrality of composer Eiko Ishibashi’s score, we are drawn into the film with a long musical excerpt, only accompanied by fluid tracking shot, looking upward: a tracery of tree branches, feathered out against a winter sky. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing feather

• a feather in one's cap
• a feather in someone's cap
• birds of a feather flock together
• white feather
• you could have knocked me over with a feather
• flight feather
• of a feather
• feather star
• as light as a feather
• feather bed
• contour feather
• prince's feather
• feather duster
• tar and feather
• feather one's nest
• birds of a feather

Kids Definition

feather

1 of 2 noun

feath·​er ˈfet͟h-ər 

1

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

2

a

: kind entry 1 sense 1, nature

birds of a feather

b

: clothing sense 1, dress

in full feather

c

: condition entry 1 sense 5b, mood

in fine feather

feathered

-ərd 

adjective

featherless

-ər-ləs

adjective

feathery

-(ə-)rē

adjective

feather

2 of 2 verb

feathered; feathering ˈfet͟h-(ə-)riŋ 

1

a

: to provide (as an arrow) with a feather

b

: to cover, clothe, or adorn with feathers

2

a

: to turn (an oar blade) parallel to the water when lifting from the water at the end of a stroke

b

: to change the angle of (airplane propeller blades) to reduce air resistance

also : to change the angle of airplane propeller blades of (an engine) in such a manner

3

: to grow feathers

4

: to move, spread, or grow like feathers

Medical Definition

feather

noun

feath·​er ˈfet͟h-ər 

: 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

feathered

-ərd 

adjective

Geographical Definition

Feather

geographical name

Feath·​er ˈfe-t͟hər 

river 100 miles (161 kilometers) long in north central California flowing south into the Sacramento River