plumage

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*plew-“to flow; to fly; to run”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*plewk-“to flow; to fly; to run; etc.”
3. Latin · derived fromplūma“feather, plume”
4. Old French · derived fromplumage“bird’s feathers collectively”
5. Middle French · derived fromplumage
6. Middle English · inherited fromplumage
7. English todayplumage

From Late Middle English plumage, plummage (“bird’s feathers collectively, plumage; (falconry) feathers fed to a hawk to cause it to regurgitate, casting”), from Middle French plumage, plomage (“bird’s feathers collectively; person’s (showy) clothing”), from Old French plumage (“bird’s feathers collectively”) (modern French plumage), from plume (“feather, plume”) + -age (suffix forming nouns denoting a state of being). Plume is derived from Latin plūma (“feather, plume”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to flow; to fly; to run; etc.”), from Proto-Indo-European *plew- (“to flow; to fly; to run”). By surface analysis, plume + -age (suffix forming nouns with a sense of appurtenance or collection).

Words from the same roots