Definitions for feather
ˈfɛð ərfeath·er

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

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"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. feathernoun

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

   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’).

2. feathernoun

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

   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’).

3. featherverb

   To cover with feathers.

   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’).

4. featherverb

   To arrange in the manner or appearance of feathers.

   The stylist feathered my hair.

   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’).

5. featherverb

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

   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’).

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.

   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’).

7. featherverb

   To finely shave or bevel an edge.

   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’).

8. featherverb

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

   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’).

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Feathernoun

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

   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.]

2. Feathernoun

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

   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.]

3. Feathernoun

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

   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.]

4. Feathernoun

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

   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.]

5. Feathernoun

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

   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.]

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

   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.]

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

   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.]

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

   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.]

9. Featherverb

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

   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.]

10. Featherverb

    to adorn, as with feathers; to fringe

    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.]

11. Featherverb

    to render light as a feather; to give wings to

    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.]

12. Featherverb

    to enrich; to exalt; to benefit

    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.]

13. Featherverb

    to tread, as a cock

    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.]

14. Featherverb

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

    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.]

15. Featherverb

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

    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.]

16. Featherverb

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

    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.]

17. Featherverb

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

    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.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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 Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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 Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. feather

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

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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 Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. feather

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

Matched Categories

1. • Cover
   • Join

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. Dennis Goldford:

   But if there's a feather on the scale, that can make a difference in a close race. This is a close race.

2. Allen Ginsberg:

   Democracy! Bah! When I hear that word I reach for my feather Boa!

3. Chad Eliason:

   Hummingbirds have bright, iridescent feathers, but if you took a hummingbird feather and smashed it into tiny pieces, you’d only see black dust. The pigment in the feathers is black, but the shapes of the melanosomes that produce that pigment are what make the colors in hummingbird feathers that we see.

4. Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time:

   Death is as light as a feather; duty as heavy as a mountain.

5. Anthony Liccione:

   I have rubbed, knocked and brushed up against a thousand windows, trying to get an image.""A writer is nothing without a reader; a reader is nothing without a writer." "Ask not the grass to give you green, and later walk all over it.”“Thoughts are like an open ocean, they can either move you forward within its waves, or sink you under deep into its abyss.” Anger can kill, even a feather gently blowing in the wind.” "The mirror will only lie, when you look at it through a mask."If you put a clock in a bottle, with time it will crack, as like money, as like love, as like a beautiful mind, with no soul." “If eyes are windows to the soul, then tears are heavens rain.”"It's not how many friends you can count, it's how many of those you can count on.”

Images & Illustrations of feather

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