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plume

[ploom]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

a feather.

a large, long, or conspicuous feather: the brilliant plume of a peacock.

a soft, fluffy feather: the plume of an egret.

any plumose part or formation.

a feather, a tuft of feathers, or some substitute, worn as an ornament, as on a hat, helmet, etc.

EXPAND

a feather or featherlike token of honor or distinction, especially one worn on a helmet.

plumage.

a vertically or longitudinally moving, rising, or expanding fluid body, as of smoke or water.

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.

COLLAPSE

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 followed by on or upon): She sat before the mirror, pluming herself upon her beauty.

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Plume is always a great word to know.

So is crust. Does it mean:

outer layer of the earth, about 22 miles deep under the continents and 6 miles deep under the oceans

ratio of the volume of the pores of a substance to the total volume of the mass

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Origin:
1350–1400; earlier plome, plume, Middle English plume < Middle French < Latin plūma soft feather (> Old English plūm-, in plūmfether downy feather)

Related forms

plume·less, adjective

plume·like, adjective

re·plume, verb (used with object), -plumed, -plum·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To plume

Example Sentences

Preliminary images of the plume show layers of it touching the sea floor.

As the plume of cigarette smoke dissipates, his smile exposes a single tooth.

Great egrets were decimated by plume hunters who supplied purveyors of the latest ladies' fashions.

EXPAND

Preliminary images of the plume show layers of it touching the sea floor.

As the plume of cigarette smoke dissipates, his smile exposes a single tooth.

Great egrets were decimated by plume hunters who supplied purveyors of the latest ladies' fashions.

These scientists were looking for sodium in the plume vapour and couldn't see it in the expelled ice grains.

When a volcano erupts, the volcanic plume full of gas and dust rises and then spreads into the shape of an umbrella.

Then came the famous now-you-see-it, now-you-don't oil plume controversy.

Light shining through the plume of matter coming from the surface provides information about the plume's composition.

The main column or plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam.

The funnel ends below the earth's outer crust, where the plume material spreads and ponds.

Amused onlookers howl as it maneuvers around other balls, staggering and dropping within inches of the gray plume.

Planes would be allowed to fly through the thinner parts of the plume.

The first oil trail was a three-kilometer wide downwind plume made up of the crude's lightest hydrocarbons.

Scientists expect the blast to be so powerful that a huge plume of debris will be ejected.

The existence of a huge plume of dispersed oil might pose a continuing threat to wildlife for months or years.

Look at how many people publish fiction under various noms des plume.

Metal sulfides also precipitate out of the rising plume of water, creating at some vents the illusion of black smoke.

As the lavender burned, it sent up an aromatic plume of smoke that spiced the air with earthy perfume.

The ash plume appears to have a smooth white cap on it as it breaks through the cloud cover above.

The military personnel apparently had flown through a radioactive plume from a damaged nuclear power plant.

BP is keeping mum, but it does say that the plume of leaking oil looks significantly different now that suction is being applied.

During the rainy season, however, the spray plume can obscure the view of the falls themselves.

The plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam.

As the plume rose, air flowed downward along the sides and became warmer and evaporated the clouds.

The sample was taken from the mineral-laden plume boiling up from the vent.

The controlled impact will send up a plume of material into the light, so scientists can get a better look at what's inside.

Underneath a neighborhood in the southeastern part of town lies a groundwater plume contaminated with chlorinated.

Spiraling through the air in superslow motion, it pierces his chest in a plume of red and bores into his heart.

Moments before liftoff, the engines of the space shuttleAtlantis ignite, shooting out a plume of exhaust over the.

If a plume blows out and rises, it can sink the ship.

But nothing galvanized opposition to wholesale slaughter more than the plume trade.

As the plume darkened, the pilgrims began to disperse.

Residents fled smack into the plume of air carrying radioactive debris.

BP has repeatedly claimed that measuring the plume would be impossible.

There are now a few areas where it is dangerous to hold a match next to running water because a large plume of fire erupts.

When the powerhouse was in operation, they had a constant plume of black smoke.

The explosion and plume of white that rose last night may have been the result of hydrogen deflagration and detonation.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

plume (pluːm)

—n
1.	a feather, esp one that is large or ornamental
2.	a feather or cluster of feathers worn esp formerly as a badge or ornament in a headband, hat, etc
3.	biology any feathery part, such as the structure on certain fruits and seeds that aids dispersal by wind
4.	something that resembles a plume: a plume of smoke
5.	a token or decoration of honour; prize
6.	geology Also called: mantle plume a rising column of hot, low viscosity material within the earth's mantle, which is believed to be responsible for linear oceanic island chains and flood basalts

—vb (foll by on or upon)
7.	to adorn or decorate with feathers or plumes
8.	(of a bird) to clean or preen (itself or its feathers)
9.	to pride or congratulate (oneself)

[C14: from Old French, from Latin plūma downy feather]

'plumeless

—*adj*

'plumelike

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

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

EXPAND

1702.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

plume (pl

m) Pronunciation Key

A feather, especially a large one.
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.
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.

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Brazilian plume diapir displume false Solomon's-seal feathered hot spot

Matching Quote

"Your rat tail is all the fashion now. I prefer a bushy plume, carried straight up. You are Siamese and your ancestors lived in trees. Mine lived in palaces. It has been suggested to me that I am a bit of a snob. How true! I prefer to be."

-Raymond Chandler

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