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plume

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The vane of a feather.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ploom
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈplum

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A cloud formed by a dispersed substance fanning out or spreading.

  2. The vane ("flattened, web-like part") of a feather, especially when on a quill pen or the fletching of an arrow.

  3. Things resembling a feather.

  4. figurative

    A token of honour or prowess; that on which one prides oneself; a prize or reward.

  5. The furry tail of certain dog breeds (such as the Samoyed) that curls over their backs or stands erect.

  6. More fully gill plume: a feathery gill of some crustaceans and molluscs.

verb

  1. transitivealso figurative

    To adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes, or as if with feathers or plumes.

  2. transitivereflexive

    Chiefly of a bird: to arrange and preen the feathers of, specifically in preparation for flight; hence (figurative), to prepare for (something).

  3. transitivereflexiveby extension

    To congratulate (oneself) proudly, especially concerning something unimportant or when taking credit for another person's effort; to self-congratulate; to preen.

  4. intransitive

    Of a dispersed substance such as dust or smoke: to fan out or spread in a cloud.

  5. by extension

    To peel, to strip completely; to pillage; also, to deprive of power.

Word at a Glance

Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Vane

white plume

Cloud

smoke plume

Light

silver plume

Upward

plume rise

Other combinations

mantle plumeblack plumered plumeriver plume

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • plume grassnounCompound term

    A reedlike grass of the genus Erianthus having large plumes.

  • plume poppynounCompound term

    Herb of China and Japan widely cultivated for its plumelike panicles of creamy white flowers.

  • plume thistlenounCompound term

    Any of numerous biennial to perennial herbs with handsome purple or yellow or occasionally white flower heads.

  • plumed scorpionfishnounCompound term

    A kind of scorpionfish.

  • plumed thistlenounCompound term

    Any of numerous biennial to perennial herbs with handsome purple or yellow or occasionally white flower heads.

  • plumed tussocknounCompound term

    Tall grass of New Zealand grown for plumelike flower heads.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to adorn or cover or or furnish with feathers

feather

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.