plug and feathers
–noun
| an apparatus for splitting stone, consisting of two tapered bars (feathers), inserted into a hole drilled into the stone, between which a narrow wedge (plug) is hammered to spread them. |
[Origin: 1835–45
]
] | Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
feathers
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| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
feath·er
Audio Help (fěth'ər) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) n.
v. feath·ered, feath·er·ing, feath·ers v. tr.
v. intr.
[Middle English fether, from Old English; see pet- in Indo-European roots.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
feather
Audio Help (fě 'ər) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) One of the light, flat structures that cover the skin of birds. A feather is made of a horny substance and has a narrow, hollow shaft bearing flat vanes formed of many parallel barbs. The barbs of outer feathers are formed of even smaller structures (called barbules) that interlock. The barbs of down feathers do not interlock. Evolutionarily, feathers are modified scales, first seen in certain dinosaurs. |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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