plumage
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: biology
falconry
hobbies
hunting
lifestyle
natural-sciences
ornithology
Etymology: 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).
Inflected forms:
form: plumages
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: The feathers covering the body of a bird collectively.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: Very fayre ⁊ hardy Hawkes [“Slauon Goshawkes”], large footed, very well penned, theyr downe and plumage excellent fine, their tungs blacke, and their nares large and wide.
[T]he glad Bird [a dove] ſtayes all the day abroad, / And vvondrous proud that he a place had found, / […] / Bathing himſelfe, vvhich long he had not done, / And dryes his feathers in the vvelcome Sunne, / Pruning his plumage, clenſing euery quill, / And going back, he beareth in his bill / An Oliue leafe, by vvhich Noah vnderſtood / The great decreaſe and vvaning of the flood: […]
[W]ith a ſvveat ſhe caſts her feathers; and is then carefully nurſed up and fed, till ſhe recover her plumage again.
The rock-thrush of Guiana, birds of Paradise, and some others, congregate; and successive males display their gorgeous plumage and perform strange antics before the females, which standing by as spectators, at last choose the most attractive partner.
In some few cases the young [birds] in their first plumage differ from each other according to sex; the young males resembling more or less closely the adult males, and the young females more or less closely the adult females.
The parrot sat, preening her plumage, on Long John [Silver]'s shoulder.
Somewhat like a heron she was, but stouter, and shorter of leg, and her beak shorter and thicker than the heron’s; and so long and delicate was her pale gray plumage that hard it was to say whether it were hair or feathers.
Shopkeeper (Michael Palin): No, no, he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage! / Mr. Praline (John Cleese): The plumage don't enter into it. It's stone dead.
gloss: Feathers used ornamentally; feathering; (countable) a bunch or tuft of such feathers; a plume.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
broadly
uncountable
examples: [S]he could not but contrast the splendour of the Polish retinues and their plumages and draperies, with the strait-buttoned Prussian dignitaries, all in mere soldier uniform, succinct 'blue coat, white linen gaiters,' and no superfluity even in the epaulettes and red facings.
gloss: Feathers which are fed to a hawk to cause it to regurgitate, for the purpose of cleaning its crop; a type of casting.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
obsolete
uncountable
examples: Euery night, after he hath fleen with his hawke the daye, either at the fielde, or brooke, he muſte giue his hawke caſting, ſomewhyles plumage, ſome other whiles pellets of Cotton, or ſuche like, and agayne, ſometimes ſome one medicine or other, according as by hir caſting, or mewte, he ſhall perceyue hir to ſtande needefull thereof, […]
gloss: A person's dress, especially when elaborate or fine.
pos: noun
tags: countable
figuratively
uncountable
examples: While she was thinking what to say, Marie gradually wiped away her tears, and smoothed her plumage in a general sort of way, as a dove might be supposed to make toilet after a shower, […]
gloss: A person's external appearance, especially when showy.
pos: noun
tags: countable
figuratively
uncountable
examples: I have thought / Of thee, thy learning, gorgeous eloquence, / And all the strength and plumage of thy youth, […]
This expression of liberality and confidence from a man of Major Bridgenorth's reserved and cautious disposition, gave full plumage to Mistress Deborah's hopes; […]
Related words: deplume
plumate
plume
plumelet
plumose
plumule
plumy
Derived words: alternate plumage
basic plumage
eclipse plumage
nuptial plumage
plumaged
plumagery
plumage-stitch
Translations: