What does "plume" mean?
A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one used as a decoration.
Plume
/ˈpluːm/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one used as a decoration.
- Grammar: plume is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: adorn, aigret, aigrette, bead.
- Useful contrasts: absorb, calm air, clear air.
- Usage evidence: The southern Italian island of Sicily has been covered with a vast plume of smoke and ash.
How to use "plume"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "plume" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "plume" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "plume" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "plume" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "plume" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adorn" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "plume", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one used as a decoration. archaic, literary, poetic
"Near-synonym: aigrette"
- 2 the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds wordnet
- 3 A cluster of feathers worn as an ornament, especially on a helmet; a hackle. archaic, literary, poetic
"Near-synonym: aigrette"
- 4 a feather or cluster of feathers worn as an ornament wordnet
- 5 A token of honour or prowess; that on which one prides oneself; a prize or reward. figuratively
"But well thou comſt / Before thy fellows, ambitious to win / From me ſom Plume, that thy ſucceſs may ſhow / Deſtruction to the reſt: [...]"
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness wordnet
- 7 The vane (“flattened, web-like part”) of a feather, especially when on a quill pen or the fletching of an arrow.
- 8 Ellipsis of plume moth (“a small, slender moth of the family Pterophoridae”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 9 Things resembling a feather.
"Tidal gravitational effects cause plumes of sodium silicate to erupt from Elaaden's core, depositing unusually pure silicon sand across the surface—invaluable for manufacturing high-performance computer hardware."
- 10 Things resembling a feather.; A cloud formed by a dispersed substance fanning out or spreading.
"After the explosion, a plume of smoke could be seen in the sky for miles around."
- 11 Things resembling a feather.; An upward spray of mist or water.
- 12 Things resembling a feather.; An arc of glowing material (chiefly gases) erupting from the surface of a star.
- 13 Things resembling a feather.; A large and flexible panicle of an inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses.
- 14 Things resembling a feather.; Ellipsis of mantle plume (“an upwelling of abnormally hot molten material from the Earth's mantle which spreads sideways when it reaches the lithosphere”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 15 Things resembling a feather.; A body part resembling a feather.; The furry tail of certain dog breeds (such as the Samoyed) that curls over their backs or stands erect.
- 16 Things resembling a feather.; A body part resembling a feather.; More fully gill plume: a feathery gill of some crustaceans and molluscs.
Verb
- 1 To adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes, or as if with feathers or plumes. also, figuratively, transitive
- 2 dress or groom with elaborate care wordnet
- 3 Chiefly of a bird: to arrange and preen the feathers of, specifically in preparation for flight; hence (figurative), to prepare for (something). reflexive, transitive
"I make no doubt she has made the best of her way back to the hospitable hall of Sir Watkyn Williams Wynne; and may very possibly be pluming her wings, at this present writing, among the breezy bowers of Wynnstay."
- 4 form a plume wordnet
- 5 To congratulate (oneself) proudly, especially concerning something unimportant or when taking credit for another person's effort; to self-congratulate; to preen. broadly, reflexive, transitive
"He plumes himself on his skill."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 clean with one's bill wordnet
- 7 To strip (a bird) of feathers; to pluck. archaic, transitive
"the king cared not to plume his nobility"
- 8 deck with a plume wordnet
- 9 To strip (a bird) of feathers; to pluck.; To peel, to strip completely; to pillage; also, to deprive of power. archaic, broadly, transitive
- 10 be proud of wordnet
- 11 To strip (a bird) of feathers; to pluck.; Of a hawk: to pluck the feathers from prey. archaic, obsolete, transitive
"The hauke proineth when ſhe fetcheth oyle with her beake over the taile, and anointeth her feet and her fethers. She plumeth when ſhe pulleth fethers of anie foule and caſteth them from her."
- 12 rip off; ask an unreasonable price wordnet
- 13 Of a dispersed substance such as dust or smoke: to fan out or spread in a cloud. intransitive
"Smoke plumed from his pipe, then slowly settled towards the floor."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname
Example
"The southern Italian island of Sicily has been covered with a vast plume of smoke and ash."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "plume"?
Common synonyms include: adorn, aigret, aigrette, bead, bejewel, beribbon.
How do you use "plume" in a sentence?
The southern Italian island of Sicily has been covered with a vast plume of smoke and ash.
How do you pronounce "plume"?
Pronounced /ˈpluːm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Late Middle English plum, plume (“feather; plumage”), from Anglo-Norman plum, plume f and Middle French, Old French plume f, plome (“plumage; down used for stuffing pillows, etc.; pen, quill”) (modern French plume f (“feather; pen, quill; pen nib; (figurative) writer”)), and directly from its etymon Latin plūma f (“feather; plumage; down”) (compare Late Latin plūma f (“pen, quill”)), from Proto-Italic *plouksmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to fly; to flow; to run; to flap with hands; to splash”). The English word is a doublet of pluma.
Etymology 2
Sense 1 (“to adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes”) is derived from Anglo-Norman plumer (“to cover with or provide with feathers”), or its etymon Latin plūmāre, the present active infinitive of plūmō (“to grow feathers, to fledge; to cover with feathers, to feather; to embroider with a feathery pattern”) (and compare Late Latin plūmō (“to attach feathers to arrows; of a hawk: to pluck the feathers from prey; (figurative) to celebrate, praise”)), from plūma (“feather; plumage; down”) (see etymology 1) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). Senses 2–4 (“to arrange and preen the feathers of; to congratulate (oneself) proudly; to strip of feathers”) are from Late Middle English plumen (“to remove the feathers from a bird; of a hawk: to pluck the feathers or the head from prey”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman and Middle French plumer (“to remove the feathers from a bird; to pull out (hairs, especially from a moustache); to rob”), from plūma (see etymology 1). Sense 5 (“to fan out or spread in a cloud”) is derived from plume (noun).