PLUMAGE
Dictionary entry overview: What does plumage mean?
• PLUMAGE (noun)
The noun PLUMAGE has 1 sense:
1. the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
Familiarity information: PLUMAGE used as a noun is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• PLUMAGE (noun)
Meaning:
The light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
Classified under:
Nouns denoting animals
Synonyms:
feather; plumage; plume
Hypernyms ("plumage" is a kind of...):
body covering (any covering for the body or a body part)
animal material (material derived from animals)
Meronyms (parts of "plumage"):
vane; web (the flattened weblike part of a feather consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft)
calamus; quill; shaft (the hollow spine of a feather)
Meronyms (substance of "plumage"):
ceratin; keratin (a fibrous scleroprotein that occurs in the outer layer of the skin and in horny tissues such as hair feathers nails and hooves)
melanin (insoluble pigments that account for the color of e.g. skin and scales and feathers)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "plumage"):
down; down feather (soft fine feathers)
aftershaft (a supplementary feather (usually small) on the underside of the base of the shaft of some feathers in some birds)
contour feather (feathers covering the body of an adult bird and determining its shape)
alula; bastard wing; spurious wing (tuft of small stiff feathers on the first digit of a bird's wing)
marabou (the downy feathers of marabou storks are used for trimming garments)
hackle (long slender feather on the necks of e.g. turkeys and pheasants)
flight feather; pinion; quill; quill feather (any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird)
scapular (a feather covering the shoulder of a bird)
Holonyms ("plumage" is a part of...):
bird (warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings)
