Aigrette
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A feather or plume, or feather-shaped item, used as an adornment or ornament, typically in hats or hair.
"This bauble, said he, shewing me an elegant sprig of diamonds, is an aigret, sent in last week by a lady of quality, who has ever since kept home with her head muffled up in a double clout for a pretended fit of the tooth-ache."
- 2 a long plume (especially one of egret feathers) worn on a hat or a piece of jewelry in the shape of a plume wordnet
- 3 The lesser white heron.
"Birds of many kinds skimmed the weedy flats. George pointed out a flock of aigrets, the beautiful wild fowl with the priceless plumes."
- 4 The feathery crown of some seeds (such as the dandelion).
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"This bauble, said he, shewing me an elegant sprig of diamonds, is an aigret, sent in last week by a lady of quality, who has ever since kept home with her head muffled up in a double clout for a pretended fit of the tooth-ache."
Etymology
Borrowed from French aigrette (“egret”). Doublet of egret.
More for "aigrette"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.