Definitions for feather
ˈfɛð ərfeath·er

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. feather, plume, plumagenoun

   the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

2. feather, featheringverb

   turning an oar parallel to the water between pulls

3. featherverb

   join tongue and groove, in carpentry

4. featherverb

   cover or fit with feathers

5. feather, squareverb

   turn the paddle; in canoeing

6. feather, squareverb

   turn the oar, while rowing

7. fledge, featherverb

   grow feathers

   "The young sparrows are fledging already"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. feathernoun

   A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the wings of birds that allows their wings to create lift.

2. feathernoun

   Long hair on lower legs of heavier horses, especially draft horses, notably the Clydesdale breed. Narrowly only the rear hair.

3. featherverb

   To cover with feathers.

4. featherverb

   To arrange in the manner or appearance of feathers.

   The stylist feathered my hair.

5. featherverb

   To rotate the oars while they are out of the water to reduce wind resistance.

6. featherverb

   To 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 doesn't windmill as the aircraft flies.

   After striking the bird, the pilot feathered the left, damaged engine's propeller.

7. featherverb

   To finely shave or bevel an edge.

8. featherverb

   To intergrade or blend the pixels of an image with those of a background or neighboring image.

9. Etymology: From fether, from feþer, from feþrō, from peta-. The Indo-European root is also the source of Greek πέτεσθαι, πτῶσις, shpend, Latin penna, Old Armenian թիռ. Celtic *petno- (Old Irish én, Breton ein ‘bird’).

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. FEATHERnoun

   Etymology: feðer, Saxon; feder, German.

   1. The plume of birds.

   Look, as I blow this feather from my face. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

   The brave eagle does with sorrow see
   The forest wasted, and that lofty tree,
   Which holds her nest, about to be o’erthrown,
   Before the feathers of her young are grown;
   She will not leave them, nor she cannot stay,
   But bears them boldly on her wings away. Edmund Waller.

   When a man in the dark presses either corner of his eye with his finger, and turns his eye away from his finger, he will see a circle of colours like those in the feathers of a peacock’s tail. Isaac Newton, Opt.

   I am bright as an angel, and light as a feather. Jonathan Swift.

   2. Kind; nature; species: from the proverbial expression, birds of a feather; that is, of a species.

   The proud insulting queen,
   With Clifford and the haught Northumberland,
   And of their feather many more proud birds,
   Have wrought the easy-melting king, like wax. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

   I am not of that feather to shake off
   My friend, when he most needs me. William Shakespeare, Timon.

   3. An ornament; an empty title.4. [Upon a horse.]A sort of natural frizzling of hair, which, in some places, rises above the lying hair, and there makes a figure resembling the tip of an ear of corn. Farrier’s Dict.

2. To Featherverb

   Etymology: from the noun.

   1. To dress in feathers.2. To fit with feathers.3. To tread as a cock.

   Dame Partlet was the sovereign of his heart;
   Ardent in love, outrageous in his play,
   He feather’d her a hundred times a day. Dryden.

   4. To enrich; to adorn; to exalt.

   They stuck not to say, that the king cared not to plume his nobility and people, to feather himself. Francis Bacon, Henry VII.

   5. To Feather one’s Nest. Alluding to birds which collect feathers, among other materials, for making their nests; to get riches together.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Feather

   Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They are among the characteristics that distinguish the extant birds from other living groups.Although feathers cover most of the bird's body, they arise only from certain well-defined tracts on the skin. They aid in flight, thermal insulation, and waterproofing. In addition, coloration helps in communication and protection. Plumology (or plumage science) is the name for the science that is associated with the study of feathers.Feathers have a number of utilitarian, cultural, and religious uses. Feathers are both soft and excellent at trapping heat; thus, they are sometimes used in high-class bedding, especially pillows, blankets, and mattresses. They are also used as filling for winter clothing and outdoor bedding, such as quilted coats and sleeping bags. Goose and eider down have great loft, the ability to expand from a compressed, stored state to trap large amounts of compartmentalized, insulating air. Feathers of large birds (most often geese) have been and are used to make quill pens. Historically, the hunting of birds for decorative and ornamental feathers has endangered some species and helped to contribute to the extinction of others. Today, feathers used in fashion and in military headdresses and clothes are obtained as a waste product of poultry farming, including chickens, geese, turkeys, pheasants, and ostriches. These feathers are dyed and manipulated to enhance their appearance, as poultry feathers are naturally often dull in appearance compared to the feathers of wild birds.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. feather

   A feather is a structure that forms the outer covering of a bird's body, designed for flight, insulation, and display. It is a complex integumentary structure made up of interlocking keratin structures, typically characterized by a central shaft (rachis) with a series of vanes or barbs branching out on both sides. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, depending on the species of bird.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Feathernoun

   one of the peculiar dermal appendages, of several kinds, belonging to birds, as contour feathers, quills, and down

2. Feathernoun

   kind; nature; species; -- from the proverbial phrase, "Birds of a feather," that is, of the same species

3. Feathernoun

   the fringe of long hair on the legs of the setter and some other dogs

4. Feathernoun

   a tuft of peculiar, long, frizzly hair on a horse

5. Feathernoun

   one of the fins or wings on the shaft of an arrow

6. Feathernoun

   a longitudinal strip projecting as a fin from an object, to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sidwise but permit motion lengthwise; a spline

7. Feathernoun

   a thin wedge driven between the two semicylindrical parts of a divided plug in a hole bored in a stone, to rend the stone

8. Feathernoun

   the angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or enters the water

9. Featherverb

   to furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a cap

10. Featherverb

    to adorn, as with feathers; to fringe

11. Featherverb

    to render light as a feather; to give wings to

12. Featherverb

    to enrich; to exalt; to benefit

13. Featherverb

    to tread, as a cock

14. Featherverb

    to grow or form feathers; to become feathered; -- often with out; as, the birds are feathering out

15. Featherverb

    to curdle when poured into another liquid, and float about in little flakes or "feathers;" as, the cream feathers

16. Featherverb

    to turn to a horizontal plane; -- said of oars

17. Featherverb

    to have the appearance of a feather or of feathers; to be or to appear in feathery form

18. Etymology: [OE. fether, AS. feer; akin to D. veder, OHG. fedara, G. feder, Icel. fjr, Sw. fjder, Dan. fjder, Gr. ptero`n wing, feather, pe`tesqai to fly, Skr. pattra wing, feather, pat to fly, and prob. to L. penna feather, wing. 76, 248. Cf. Pen a feather.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Feather

   Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They are among the characteristics that distinguish the extant Aves from other living groups. Feathers have also been noticed in those Theropoda which have been termed feathered dinosaurs. Although feathers cover most parts of the body of birds, they arise only from certain well-defined tracts on the skin. They aid in flight, thermal insulation, waterproofing and coloration that helps in communication and protection.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Feather

   feth′ėr, n. one of the growths which form the covering of a bird: a feather-like ornament: the feathered end of an arrow: nature, kind, as in 'birds of a feather:' birds collectively: anything light or trifling.—v.t. to furnish or adorn with feathers.—ns. Feath′er-bed, a mattress filled with feathers; Feath′er-board′ing (same as Weather-boarding, q.v.).—p.adj. Feath′ered, covered or fitted with feathers, or anything feather-like: like the flight of a feathered animal, swift: smoothed as with feathers.—ns. Feath′er-edge, an edge of a board or plank thinner than the other edge; Feath′er-grass, a perennial grass, so called from the feathery appearance of its awns; Feath′er-head, Feath′er-brain, a frivolous person; Feath′eriness; Feath′ering, plumage: the fitting of feathers to arrows: (archit.) an arrangement of small arcs or foils separated by projecting cusps, frequently forming the feather-like ornament on the inner mouldings of arches; Feath′er-star, a crinoid of feathery appearance and radiate structure; Feath′er-weight, the lightest weight that may be carried by a racing-horse: a boxer, wrestler, &c., of a class below the light-weights—hence one of small importance or ability.—adj. Feath′ery, pertaining to, resembling, or covered with feathers.—Feather an oar, to turn the blade of the oar horizontally as it comes out of the water, thus lessening the resistance of the air; Feather one's nest, to accumulate wealth for one's self while serving others in a position of trust.—A feather in one's cap, some striking mark of distinction; Be in high feather, to be greatly elated or in high spirits; Make the feathers fly, to throw into confusion by a sudden attack; Show the white feather, to show signs of cowardice—a white feather in a gamecock's tail being considered as a sign of degeneracy. [A.S. feðer; Ger. feder; L. penna, Gr. pteron.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. feather

   (See SWINE'S or SWEDISH FEATHER.) It is used variously. (See also FULL FEATHER and WHITE FEATHER.)

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. feather

   A facet of the body of a bird.

   The birds feathers are amazing to feel and see.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 16, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. feather

   Song lyrics by feather -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by feather on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. FEATHER

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Feather is ranked #11719 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Feather surname appeared 2,674 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Feather.
   
   84.4% or 2,259 total occurrences were White.
   9.6% or 258 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
   2.5% or 68 total occurrences were Black.
   1.5% or 42 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   1.3% or 35 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   0.4% or 12 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

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British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'feather' in Nouns Frequency: #2595

Anagrams for feather »

1. feareth

2. terefah

How to pronounce feather?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say feather in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of feather in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of feather in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of feather in a Sentence

1. Nicholas Heras:

   Major non-NATO status is a real feather in the cap of many nations... in a sense it would essentially cement the US as the guarantor of Saudi security for forseeable future, it would put down on paper what has been the gentleman's agreement.

2. Helen Keller:

   As the eagle was killed by the arrow winged with his own feather, so the hand of the world is wounded by its own skill.

3. Edith Newbold Jones Wharton:

   Life is always a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me the tightrope.

4. Juan Boston:

   I ’m 58, and in my life, I have received one eagle feather, when you see some people wearing one jumping around like a monkey yelling like an idiot, it is disrespectful to our culture.

5. Chinese Proverb:

   Listen to all, plucking a feather from every passing goose, but, follow no one absolutely.

Popularity rank by frequency of use