aigrette

[ ey-gret, ey-gret ]
See synonyms for aigrette on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a plume or tuft of feathers, especially 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 of aigrette

1
1635–45; <French, equivalent to aigr- (<Germanic; compare Old High German heiger heron) + -ette-ette. See egret, heron

Words Nearby aigrette

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use aigrette in a sentence

  • She wore a rather severe evening gown of black net, and in her gray hair was a quivering black aigrette.

    Patty's Friends | Carolyn Wells
  • A diamond aigrette sparkled on her head, but her beautiful white throat was bare of ornaments.

    Lady Cassandra | Mrs George de Horne Vaizey
  • Dark phase, Head and neck rufous; back slate; about 30 "aigrette" plumes.

  • "aigrette" plumes, short, dirty gray; rump and belly white; legs blackish.

  • White, about 50 straight "aigrette" plumes grow from the back between the wings; legs and feet black.

British Dictionary definitions for aigrette

aigrette

aigret

/ (ˈeɪɡrɛt, eɪˈɡrɛt) /


noun
  1. a long plume worn on hats or as a headdress, esp one of long egret feathers

  2. an ornament or piece of jewellery in imitation of a plume of feathers

Origin of aigrette

1
C19: French

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012