Meanings
feather1
plural feathers · alternative archaic fether
- A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display.
Nesting birds pluck some of their own feathers to line the nest, but feather plucking in pet birds is entirely different.
2000, C. J. Puotinen, The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, page 3622 more examples
Notice, too, that the shaft is not straight, but bent so that the upper surface of the feather is convex, and the lower concave.
1873, W. K. Brooks, “A Feather”, in Popular Science Monthly, volume IV, page 687Big fellows they were, all of them, their barbaric headdresses and grotesquely painted faces, together with their many metal ornaments and gorgeously coloured feathers, adding to their wild, fierce appearance.
1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter V, in The Beasts of Tarzan - Long hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse, especially a draft horse, notably the Clydesdale breed. Narrowly only the rear hair.
Synonyms: feathers, feathering, horsefeathers · Antonyms: spats
- A longitudinal strip projecting from an object to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sideways or rotationally but permit motion lengthwise.
Near-synonym: spline
Synonyms: spline
- Kind; nature; species (from the proverbial phrase "birds of a feather").
I am not of that feather to shake off / My friend when he must need me.
c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i] - One of the two shims of the three-piece stone-splitting tool known as plug and feather or plug and feathers; the feathers are placed in a borehole and then a wedge is driven between them, causing the stone to split.
- The angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or enters the water.
- Anything petty or trifling; a whit or jot.
To some pew purchasers he gave deeds, to others he gave, none, but both were promised security, and both it seems were equally secure, for the pew deed as Mr. Melledge declared to Mr. G. was not worth a feather.
1823, An Ecclesiastical Memoir of Essex Street Religious Society - in pluralhobbiesPartridges and pheasants, as opposed to rabbits and hares (called fur).
- rail transportA junction indicator attached to a colour-light signal at an angle, which lights up, typically with four white lights in a row, when a diverging route is set up.
Signal M123 is a conventional 3-aspect colour light with three Junction Indicators - commonly known as 'feathers'.
2020 December 30, David Allen, “Unusual signals...: Morpeth Signal M123”, in Rail, page 64
present singular third person feathers · participle present feathering · participle past feathered · past feathered · alternative archaic fether
- To cover or furnish with feathers; (when of an arrow) to fletch.
An Eagle had the ill Hap to be Struck with an Arrow Feather'd from her own Wing.
1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC2 more examples
Olondaw had taught Hazeleye how to use her bow and arrows, and that each might know the result of his or her own shooting, he had feathered her arrow with white and his own with red. How strange are the events of this life, […]
1912, Frances, Object-lessons on Temperance, Or, The Indian Maiden and Her White Deer, page 117She feathered her arrows in the Seneca fashion, two lengths of feather tied on with a spiral twist, so they would spin in flight. The trick was to glue both sides in place with a little sticky pine sap so they would stay put while she tied them […]
2007, Thomas Perry, Vanishing Act, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 302 - To adorn, as if with feathers; to fringe.
A few birches and oaks still feathered the narrow ravines, or occupied in dwarf clusters the hollow plains of the moor.
1816, Jedadiah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter II, in Tales of My Landlord, […], volume II (Old Mortality), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for William Blackwood, […]; London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 28 - To arrange in the manner or appearance of feathers.
The stylist feathered my hair.
- ambitransitivehobbiesTo rotate the oars while they are out of the water to reduce wind resistance.
‘Feather! Christ! Don’t you bastards even know how to feather?’ He instructed us on how to slide the oar parallel to the surface of the water before dipping it in for the next stroke.
2021, Reggie Oliver, “Monkey’s”, in A Maze for the Minotaur and Other Strange Stories - aeronauticsTo streamline the blades of an aircraft's propeller by rotating them perpendicular to the axis of the propeller when the engine is shut down so that the propeller does not windmill during flight.
After striking the bird, the pilot feathered the damaged left engine’s propeller.
- computer graphicsTo intergrade or blend the pixels of an image with those of a background or neighboring image.
- intransitiveOf written or printed ink: to take on a blurry appearance as a result of spreading through the receiving medium.
Whether or not the ink feathers depends upon the paper or card, and also upon the nature of the dye in the ink.
1940, Circular of the Bureau of Standards, numbers 426-451, page 50 - transitiveTo render light as a feather; to give wings to.
c. 1650, Robert Loveday, letter to Mr. C. The Polonian story, which perhaps may feather some tedious hours.
- transitiveTo enrich; to exalt; to benefit.
They stuck not to say that the king cared not to plume his nobility and people to feather himself.
1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC - ball gamesTo accidentally touch the cue ball with the tip of the cue when taking aim.
- transitiveTo touch lightly, like (or as if with) a feather.
His breath feathered her lips; her spine, her legs weakened, went soft at the wafting warmth.
2001, Joan Hohl, Maybe Tomorrow, Zebra Books, →ISBN, page 1861 more example
A soft breeze feathered her face and hair. The smell of honeysuckle blanketed the air. She concentrated on shutting out every sound except the whisper of her heart. Gradually the inner distractions became fewer.
2006, Gary Parker, Her Daddy's Eyes, Baker Books, →ISBN, page 143 - transitiveTo move softly, like a feather.
She feathered her fingers through Mitchell's hair. “Besides, I like you a whole lot better than Frye.”
2005, Radclyffe, Justice Served, Bold Strokes Books Inc1 more example
“Asking me not to breathe would be simpler,” Drake said. “If I could spare you what's coming—” “No.” Drake feathered her fingers through Sylvan's hair. “We fight together.” Sylvan nodded and relaxed in her embrace. Drake didn't fear death.
2011, L.L. Raand, Blood Hunt, Bold Strokes Books Inc, →ISBN
Feather2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounLong hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse, especially a draft horse, notably the Clydesdale breed. Narrowly only the rear hair.
nounA longitudinal strip projecting from an object to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sideways or rotationally but permit motion lengthwise.
proper nounAn anglicized Americanized German surname from German, equivalent to English Feather.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
feather · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*péth₂r̥“feather, wing”
- Proto-Germanic*feþrō
- Proto-West Germanic*feþru
- Old Englishfeþer
- Middle Englishfethere
- Englishfeather
From Middle English fethere, from Old English feþer, from Proto-West Germanic *feþru, from Proto-Germanic *feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥ (“feather, wing”), from *peth₂- (“to fly”). Cognate with West Frisian fear (“feather”), Cimbrian bèdara, fòdara (“pillowcase”), vèdara (“feather”), Dutch veder, veer (“feather”), German Feder (“feather”), German Low German Fedder (“feather”), Luxembourgish Fieder (“feather”), Vilamovian faoder (“feather”), Yiddish פֿעדער (feder, “feather”), Danish fjeder, fjer (“feather”), Faroese fjøður (“feather”), Icelandic fjöður (“feather”), Norwegian Bokmål fjær, fjør (“feather”), Norwegian Nynorsk fjøder, fjør (“feather”), Swedish fjäder (“feather”). Also Ancient Greek πέτομαι (pétomai, “to fly”), Albanian shpend (“bird”), Latin penna (“feather”), Old Armenian թիռ (tʻiṙ, “flight”). The sense correlated with splines and keys (noun sense 4) probably reflects analogy with the fletching sense (noun sense 3).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Feather · proper noun
* As an occupational English name, from feather, used to refer to quilt makers, feather traders, etc. * As an Americanized German surname, from Feder.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans veer, pluim
- veerbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- pluimbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Ancient Greek πτερόν
- πτερόν (pterón)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Arabic رِيش, رِيشَة
- رِيش (rīš)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- رِيشَة (rīša)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Basque luma
- lumabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Bengali পালক
- পালক (palok)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Bulgarian перо́, перо́
- перо́ (peró)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- перо́ (peró)fin or wing on the shaft of an arrow
- оперявам (operjavam)to cover with feathers
Catalan ploma
- plomabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Chinese Cantonese 羽毛
- 羽毛 (jyu⁵ mou⁴)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Chinese Mandarin 羽毛, 羽
- 羽毛 (yǔmáo)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- 羽 (yǔ)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Czech péro, rous
- pérobranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- rouslong hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse
Danish fjer
- fjerbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Dutch veer, veder
- veerbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- vederbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- pluimbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Esperanto plumo, plumizi
- plumobranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- plumizito cover with feathers
Estonian sulg
- sulgbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Finnish sulka, höyhen
- sulkabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- höyhenbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- vuohiskarvalong hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse
- sulkafin or wing on the shaft of an arrow
- liuskalongitudinal strip, spline
- liukukiilalongitudinal strip, spline
- tyyppikind, nature
- lehtipart of stone-splitting tool
- peittää sulillato cover with feathers
- peittää höyhenilläto cover with feathers
- sommitella höyheniksito arrange in the manner of feathers
- kääntää lappeelleenrowing: to rotate the oars while they are out of the water
- lepuuttaaaeronautics: to streamline an aircraft's propeller blades when shut down
- kääntää lepuutusasentoonaeronautics: to streamline an aircraft's propeller blades when shut down
- viistääcarpentry, engineering: to finely shave or bevel an edge
- pontatacarpentry, engineering: to finely shave or bevel an edge
French plume, fanon
- plumebranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- fanonlong hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse
- mettre en drapeauaeronautics: to streamline an aircraft's propeller blades when shut down
German Feder, Vogelfeder
- Federbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- Vogelfederbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- befiedernto cover with feathers
Greek φτερό, πούπουλο
- φτερό (fteró)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- πούπουλο (poúpoulo)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Hawaiian hulu
- hulubranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Hebrew נוצה, נוֹצָה
- נוצהbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- נוֹצָה (notsá)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Hindi पंख, पर
- पंख (paṅkh)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- पर (par)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Hungarian toll
- tollbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Icelandic fjöður
- fjöðurbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Indonesian bulu
- bulubranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Irish cleite
- cleitebranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Italian piuma, penna
- piumabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- pennabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- barbettalong hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse
Japanese 羽
- 羽 (hane)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Korean 깃, 깃털
- 깃 (git)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- 깃털 (git'teol)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- 유 (yu)kind, nature
- 종류 (jongnyu)kind, nature
Latin plūma, penna
- plūmabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- pennabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Latvian spalva
- spalvabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Lithuanian plunksna
- plunksnabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Malay bulu pelepah
- bulu pelepahbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Māori huru, whā
- hurubranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- whābranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- meremere (scapular)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- kīrabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- hikurangibranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- matakīreabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- matakīreabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- waitiripapābranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- houbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- kurutoubranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- raubranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- maekobranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Norwegian Bokmål fjær, fjør
- fjærbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- fjørbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Polish pióro
- piórobranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Portuguese pluma, pena
- plumabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- penabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Punjabi ਖੰਭ
- ਖੰਭ (khambh)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Romanian fulg, pană
- fulgbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- panăbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Russian перо́, перо́
- перо́ (peró)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- перо́ (peró)fin or wing on the shaft of an arrow
Scottish Gaelic ite
- itebranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Slovak pierko, pero
- pierkobranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- perobranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Spanish pluma, péndola
- plumabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- péndolabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Swahili unyoya, nyoya
- unyoyabranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- nyoyato cover with feathers
- nyoyato arrange in the manner of feathers
- nyoyarowing: to rotate the oars while they are out of the water
- nyoyaaeronautics: to streamline an aircraft's propeller blades when shut down
- nyoyacarpentry, engineering: to finely shave or bevel an edge
Swedish fjäder
- fjäderbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Tagalog balahibo, bagwis
- balahibobranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- bagwisbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- puladbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- simafin or wing on the shaft of an arrow
Tamil சிறகு
- சிறகு (ciṟaku)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Thai ขนนก, ขน
- ขนนก (kǒn-nók)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- ขน (kǒn)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Turkish tüy
- tüybranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Ukrainian перо́
- перо́ (peró)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Urdu پَنکْھ, پَر
- پَنکْھ (pankh)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- پَر (par)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Vietnamese lông vũ, lông
- lông vũbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- lôngbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- lông chimbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Welsh plu, pluf
- plubranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- plufbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
- adainbranching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Yiddish פֿעדער
- פֿעדער (feder)branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Zulu uphaphe class 11/10
- uphaphe class 11/10branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with feather
All rhymes →Cite this entry
feather. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feather
“feather.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feather. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “feather,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feather.
Source: feather on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.