plume

noun \ ˈplüm \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Examples: plume in a Sentence

Definition of plume

1 : a feather of a bird: such as

a : a large conspicuous or showy feather

b : contour feather

c : plumage

d : a cluster of distinctive feathers

2 a : material (such as a feather, cluster of feathers, or a tuft of hair) worn as an ornament

b : a token of honor or prowess : prize

3 : something resembling a feather (as in shape, appearance, or lightness): such as

a : a plumose appendage of a plant

b : an elongated and usually open and mobile column or band (as of smoke, exhaust gases, or blowing snow)

c : an animal structure having a main shaft bearing many hairs or filamentous parts; especially : a full bushy tail

d : any of several columns of molten rock rising from the earth's lower mantle that are theorized to drive tectonic plate movement and to underlie hot spots

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Examples of plume in a Sentence

a hat with bright ostrich plumes
the Nobel Prize for Literature is the plume that all authors covet

Recent Examples of plume from the Web

Meanwhile, a videographer on June 26 filmed the bloody plume still spewing from the same plant that first made news on Canadian national television last December.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Audit finds 70 percent of British Columbia fish-processing plants do not comply with environmental regulations," 8 July 2018
By this time, residue from the exhaust plume dried to the lens but thankfully wiped clean with some lens fluid.

— michael stillwell, Popular Mechanics, "How To Photograph a Rocket Launch," 6 July 2018
The plume of the Old Faithful geyser reaches unnatural heights in the upper right corner of the landscape, and the Old Faithful Inn next to it would be three-quarters of a mile long as depicted.

— betsy mason, National Geographic, "Gorgeous Panoramic Paintings of National Parks Now Online," 28 June 2018
By early afternoon, the smoke plumes grew, though the fire was still blowing away from Yarnell and toward Peeples Valley.

— anne ryman, azcentral, "Granite Mountain Hotshots: An untold story from the day 19 firefighters died," 23 June 2018
If the plume encountered storm clouds, a large amount of drifting fallout could suddenly descend, creating a hot spot of radioactivity many miles from ground zero.

— Daily Intelligencer, "This Is What a Nuclear Bomb Looks Like," 12 June 2018
The large laze plume was blowing inland along the coastline and the agency warned residents to avoid the area.

— madison park, CNN, "Lava filled up this Hawaiian bay and destroyed what could be hundreds of homes," 6 June 2018
The lava began flowing into the lake Saturday morning around 10 a.m. The plumes of steam were visible for miles.

— chris morris, Fortune, "Lava Evaporates Hawaii's Largest Lake," 5 June 2018
The county is overseeing a clean-up paid for by rate-payers that includes 10 extraction wells along the canals' western edge that will be used to pump out salty water and act as a barrier to the spreading plume.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "FPL wants to keep old reactors running. New sea-rise studies could stand in the way," 1 June 2018

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

Illustration of plume

Origin and Etymology of plume

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin pluma small soft feather — more at fleece

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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plume Synonyms

Synonyms

accolade, award, blue ribbon, decoration, distinction, honor, kudo, premium, prize;

applause, bravo, encomium, eulogy, hallelujah, homage, paean, panegyric, plaudit, tribute;

citation, commendation, compliment, honorable mention;

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

plume

verb

Definition of plume

plumed; pluming

transitive verb

1 a : to provide or deck with feathers

b : to array showily

2 : to indulge (oneself) in pride with an obvious or vain display of self-satisfaction

3 of a bird

a : to preen and arrange the feathers of (itself)

b : to preen and arrange (feathers)

Examples of plume in a Sentence

that jerk plumes himself on his supposed athletic skills

Recent Examples of plume from the Web

Ash plumes shooting thousands of feet into the sky from the summit have raised concerns about air quality.

— heidi chang, latimes.com, "Evacuations ordered in Hawaii as fast-moving lava threatens neighborhoods," 1 June 2018
Winds blew much of the 30,000-foot (9,100-meter) plume away from people.

— Fox News, "The Latest: No end in sight for Hawaii's erupting volcano," 18 May 2018
An early morning 18-wheeler crash Sunday (May 13) on eastbound Interstate 10 in St. Martin Parish has left lanes closed and smoke pluming into the air, according to Louisiana State Police.

— hanna krueger, NOLA.com, "I-10 east closed in St. Martin Parish after 18-wheeler crash: State Police," 13 May 2018
This occurred when exhaust plumes from the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage depleted plasma levels across a 900-km wide area, which the scientists say probably caused about a 1-meter error in GPS navigation programs.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "SpaceX launch last year punched huge, temporary hole in the ionosphere," 22 Mar. 2018
Heavy black smoke plumed from the building by the time fire crews arrived.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Fryer sparks overnight fire at Houston tofu maker's warehouse," 10 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of plume

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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plume Synonyms

Synonyms

flatter, pride;

Related Words

boast, brag, crow, swagger, vaunt;

congratulate, felicitate;

Other Birds Terms

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

PLUME Defined for English Language Learners

plume

noun

Definition of plume for English Language Learners

: a feather or group of feathers on a bird
: a decoration made of feathers or something similar
: something (such as smoke, steam, or water) that rises into the air in a tall, thin shape