10 results for: plume Browse Nearby Entries
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
plume    Audio Help   [ploom] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, plumed, plum·ing.
–noun
1.a feather.
2.a large, long, or conspicuous feather: the brilliant plume of a peacock.
3.a soft, fluffy feather: the plume of an egret.
4.any plumose part or formation.
5.a feather, a tuft of feathers, or some substitute, worn as an ornament, as on a hat, helmet, etc.
6.a feather or featherlike token of honor or distinction, esp. one worn on a helmet.
7.plumage.
8.a vertically or longitudinally moving, rising, or expanding fluid body, as of smoke or water.
9.a visible pattern of smoke resulting from emissions from a stack, flue, or chimney.
10.Also called mantle plume. Geology. a deep-seated upwelling of magma within the earth's mantle. Compare diapir.
–verb (used with object)
11.to furnish, cover, or adorn with plumes or feathers.
12.(of a bird) to preen (itself or its feathers).
13.to feel complacent satisfaction with (oneself); pride (oneself) (often fol. by on or upon): She sat before the mirror, pluming herself upon her beauty.

[Origin: 1350–1400; earlier plome, plume, ME plume < MF < L plūma soft feather (> OE plūm-, in plūmfether downy feather)]

plumeless, adjective
plumelike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
plume

To learn more about plume visit Britannica.com

© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
plume    Audio Help   (plōōm)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A feather, especially a large and showy one.
  2. A large feather or cluster of feathers worn as an ornament or symbol of rank, as on a helmet.
  3. A token of honor or achievement.
  4. A structure or form that is like a long feather: a plume of smoke.
  5. Ecology A space in air, water, or soil containing pollutants released from a point source.
  6. Geology An upwelling of molten material from the earth's mantle.

tr.v.   plumed, plum·ing, plumes
  1. To decorate, cover, or supply with or as if with plumes.
  2. To smooth (feathers); preen.
  3. To congratulate (oneself) in a self-satisfied way: plumed himself on his victory.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin plūma.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
plume 
1399, "a feather" (especially a large and conspicuous one), from O.Fr. plume, from L. pluma "feather, down," from PIE base *pleus- "to pluck, a feather, fleece" (cf. O.E. fleos "fleece"). Meaning "a long streamer of smoke, etc." is first attested 1878. The verb meaning "to dress the feathers" is from 1702.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
plume

noun
1. anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness; "a plume of smoke"; "grass with large plumes" 
2. a feather or cluster of feathers worn as an ornament 
3. the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds [syn: feather

verb
1. rip off; ask an unreasonable price [syn: overcharge] [ant: undercharge
2. be proud of; "He prides himself on making it into law school" [syn: pride
3. deck with a plume; "a plumed helmet" 
4. clean with one's bill; "The birds preened" [syn: preen
5. form a plume; "The chimneys were pluming the sky"; "The engine was pluming black smoke" 
6. dress or groom with elaborate care; "She likes to dress when going to the opera" [syn: preen

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
plume [pluːm] noun
a large decorative feather
Example: She wore a plume in her hat.
Arabic: ريش، زينَة ريش
Chinese (Simplified): 装饰用的大羽毛
Chinese (Traditional): 裝飾用的大羽毛
Czech: péro
Danish: fjer
Dutch: pluim
Estonian: (ehis)sulg
Finnish: sulka
French: plume(t)
German: die Feder
Greek: διακοσμητκό φτερό, λοφίο
Hungarian: toll
Icelandic: skrautfjöður
Indonesian: bulu hiasan
Italian: piuma
Japanese: 羽飾り
Korean: (큰) 깃털
Latvian: (rotājoša) spalva; spalvu pušķis
Lithuanian: plunksna
Norwegian: fjær
Polish: pióro
Portuguese (Brazil): pluma
Portuguese (Portugal): pluma
Romanian: pană
Russian: перо
Slovak: pero
Slovenian: pero
Spanish: pluma
Swedish: plym
Turkish: tüy
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.
The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
plume    Audio Help   (plm)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A feather, especially a large one.
  2. A body of magma that rises from the Earth's mantle into the crust. ◇ If a plume rises to the Earth's surface, it erupts as lava. ◇ If it remains below the Earth's surface, it eventually solidifies into a body of rock known as a pluton.
  3. An area in air, water, soil, or rock containing pollutants released from a single source. A plume often spreads in the environment due to the action of wind, currents, or gravity.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Silver Plume, CO (town, FIPS 70360) Location: 39.69608 N, 105.72670 W
Population (1990): 134 (130 housing units)
Area: 0.6 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Plume

Plume\, n. [F., fr. L. pluma. Cf. Fly, v.]

1. A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long, conspicuous, or handsome feather.

Wings . . . of many a colored plume. --Milton.

2. (Zo["o]l.) An ornamental tuft of feathers.

3. A feather, or group of feathers, worn as an ornament; a waving ornament of hair, or other material resembling feathers.

His high plume, that nodded o'er his head. --Dryden.

4. A token of honor or prowess; that on which one prides himself; a prize or reward. "Ambitious to win from me some plume." --Milton.

5. (Bot.) A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses.

Plume bird (Zo["o]l.), any bird that yields ornamental plumes, especially the species of Epimarchus from New Guinea, and some of the herons and egrets, as the white heron of Florida (Ardea candidissima).

Plume grass. (Bot) (a) A kind of grass (Erianthus saccharoides) with the spikelets arranged in great silky plumes, growing in swamps in the Southern United States. (b) The still finer E. Ravenn[ae] from the Mediterranean region. The name is sometimes extended to the whole genus.

Plume moth (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous small, slender moths, belonging to the family Pterophorid[ae]. Most of them have the wings deeply divided into two or more plumelike lobes. Some species are injurious to the grapevine.

Plume nutmeg (Bot.), an aromatic Australian tree (Atherosperma moschata), whose numerous carpels are tipped with long plumose persistent styles.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Plume

Plume\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pluming.] [Cf. F. plumer to pluck, to strip, L. plumare to cover with feathers.]

1. To pick and adjust the plumes or feathers of; to dress or prink.

Pluming her wings among the breezy bowers. --W. Irving.

2. To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel. [Obs.] --Bacon. Dryden.

3. To adorn with feathers or plumes. "Farewell the plumed troop." --Shak.

4. To pride; to vaunt; to boast; -- used reflexively; as, he plumes himself on his skill. --South.

Plumed adder (Zo["o]l.), an African viper (Vipera, or Clotho cornuta), having a plumelike structure over each eye. It is venomous, and is related to the African puff adder. Called also horned viper and hornsman.

Plumed partridge (Zo["o]l.), the California mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus). See Mountain quail, under Mountain.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

plume

plume: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary

On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB
Browse Nearby Entries:

plumbing fixture
plumbing system
plumbing's
plumbism
plumbism's
plumbisms
plumbisms'
plumbless
plumbness
plumbous
plumbous oxide
plumbs
plumbs'
plumbum
plumcot
plumcot tree
plume
plume grass
plume on
plume poppy
plume thistle
plume's
plume-tipped
plumed
plumed scorpionfish
plumed thistle
plumed tussock
plumeless
plumelet
plumelet's
plumelets
plumelets'
plumelike

View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web

Share This:   Share This: del.icio.usShare This: digg.comShare This: FacebookShare This: furl.netShare This: www.netscape.comShare This: myweb2.search.yahoo.comShare This: www.stumbleupon.comShare This: www.google.comShare This: www.technorati.comShare This: blinklist.comShare This: newsvine.comShare This: ma.gnolia.comShare This: reddit.comShare This: favorites.live.com

Perform a new search, or try your search for "plume" at: