plumage

plum·age | \ ˈplü-mij

How to pronounce plumage (audio)

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Definition of plumage

: the feathers of a bird

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Examples of plumage in a Sentence

The peacock has colorful plumage.

Recent Examples on the Web Hunters killed the parakeets for their plumage, which was a popular hat accessory in the 20th century. — National Geographic, "How humans killed off the only parrot native to the continental U.S.," 12 Dec. 2019 While there is no snow on the ground in southeastern Wisconsin, the big birds, which weigh 3 to 6 pounds, are easy to spot, with their white plumage flecked with brown and large yellow eyes. — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Snowy owls are moving back into Wisconsin for the winter," 26 Nov. 2019 Many researchers believe the silent-flying hunters, with their bright-white plumage, may be the inspiration for early ghost stories. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "The Internet Thinks These Things Are Aliens. The Truth Is Much More Sinister.," 14 Nov. 2019 Big Bird, his yellow plumage bright as always, his eyes ever gentle, has spent the past 50 years on one: Sesame Street debuted on Nov. 10, 1969. — Lily Rothman, Time, "'We're All Growing Up Together': As Sesame Street Turns 50, Big Bird Is Still Making Friends Everywhere He Goes," 7 Nov. 2019 Ancient plumage: Scientists for the first time have found fossil features from dinosaurs that indicate the leviathans lived in the coldest parts of the world 118 million years ago. — Keith Ladzinski, National Geographic, "Will rising seas claim Nasa's Kennedy Space Center?," 20 Nov. 2019 Although the environment would have been warmer than Antarctica today, the dinosaurs that sported this plumage probably endured many months of darkness and potentially freezing temperatures during winter. — John Pickrell, National Geographic, "In a first, fossil dinosaur feathers found near the South Pole," 18 Nov. 2019 Males and females have similar plumage, but female willets are slightly larger. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Willets right at home along San Diego shorelines," 18 July 2019 With John James Audubon's stunning bird prints forming a blockbuster exhibition at Rosecliff mansion this year, the flower show dons ornithological plumage of its own. — BostonGlobe.com, "Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market," 14 June 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plumage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

18 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Plumage.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plumage. Accessed 18 January 2020.

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