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pelage

 - 4 dictionary results

pel⋅age

  [pel-ij]
Use pelage in a Sentence
–noun
the hair, fur, wool, or other soft covering of a mammal.
Origin:
1820–30; < F, deriv. of poil (OF peil, pel; see poilu ); see -age

Related forms:
pe⋅la⋅gi⋅al  [puh-ley-jee-uhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pelage
pel·age   (pěl'ĭj)   
n.  

  1. The coat of a mammal, consisting of hair, fur, wool, or other soft covering, as distinct from bare skin.

  2. Something felt to resemble the coat of a mammal: "The hardwoods were a soft pale green in the dark pelage of the conifers" (Peter Matthiessen).


[French, from Old French, from peil, pel, hair, from Latin pilus.]
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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pel·age
Pronunciation: 'pel-ij
Function: noun
: the hairy covering of a mammal
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Encyclopedia

pelage

hairy, woolly, or furry coat of a mammal, distinguished from the underlying bare skin. The pelage is significant in several respects: as insulation; as a guard against injury; and, in its coloration and pattern, as a species adornment for mutual recognition among species members, concealment from enemies, or, in the case of many males, as a sexual allurement to promote courtship and mating. Compare plumage.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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