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AIGRETTE

 - 3 dictionary results

ai⋅grette

  [ey-gret, ey-gret]
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–noun
1. a plume or tuft of feathers, esp. the back plume of any of various herons, arranged as a head ornament.
2. a jeweled ornament depicting or suggesting this, usually worn in the hair or on a hat.
Origin:
1635–45; < F, equiv. to aigr- (< Gmc; cf. OHG heiger heron) + -ette -ette. See egret, heron
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ai·grette or ai·gret   (ā-grět', ā'grět')   
n.  

  1. An ornamental tuft of upright plumes, especially the tail feathers of an egret.

  2. An ornament, such as a spray of gems, resembling a tuft of plumes.


[French, egret, from Old French; see egret.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

aigrette

tuft of long, white heron (usually egret) plumes used as a decorative headdress, or any other ornament resembling such a headdress. Such plumes were highly prized as ornaments in Middle Eastern ceremonial dress. Jeweled aigrettes, at first made in the form of a tuft of plumes, became an adornment for turbans in Turkey, particularly during the Ottoman period (1281-1924).

Learn more about aigrette with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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