neoptile

N1E1O1P3T1I1L1E1

noun

The down or light, fluffy feathers on a young bird.

Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounneoptile (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe down or light, fluffy feathers on a young bird.

    Among the neoptile feathers occur isolated bristle-like filaments, whose origin and function are unclear.

    2017 June 28, Hanneke Meijer, The Guardian
    1 more example

    Newly hatched young are naked and pink, but within a few days a short white down known as the neoptile unfolds from the skin (Kniprath & Stier 2008).

    2012, Barn Owl Trust, Barn Owl Conservation Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Ecologists, Surveyors, Land Managers and Ornithologists

Origin

From neo- + -ptile, literally "new down".

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

pleonite
Cite this entry
APA

neoptile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neoptile

MLA

“neoptile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neoptile. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “neoptile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neoptile.

Source: neoptile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.