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| feath·er [ féər ] |
noun (plural feath·ers) |
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1. part of bird's plumage: a part of a bird's plumage, consisting of a hollow central shaft with numerous interlocking fine strands on either side
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2. something resembling feather: something with light or wispy strands that give it a superficial resemblance to a bird's feather, e.g. the leaf of a plant
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3. something unimportant: something small, trivial, or of minimal value
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4. minerals flaw in precious stone: a feather-shaped flaw in a precious stone
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5. archery arrow attachment: a piece of a feather attached to the end of an arrow or dart to make it fly straight
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6. archery blunt end of arrow: the end of an arrow that has a feather fitted on it
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7. joinery part of wood joint: a projecting strip of wood fitted into a groove in the edge of a board to form a joint
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8. rowing horizontal oar position: the horizontal position in which an oar is held in order to reduce wind resistance when it is raised from the water between strokes
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plural noun feath·ers |
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1. zoology long hair on animals: fringes of hair on the legs or tails of some dogs and horses
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2. attire: the clothes that somebody is wearing
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dated
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verb (past and past participle feath·ered, present participle feath·er·ing, 3rd person present singular feath·ers) |
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1. transitive verb fit something with feathers: to fit something such as an arrow with a feather or feathers
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2. transitive verb cover something with feathers: to cover or decorate somebody or something with feathers
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3. transitive and intransitive verb fray: to fray a surface or end by cutting it or wearing it away, or become frayed in this way
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4. transitive verb cut hair to form layers: to style hair by cutting and thinning in order to give a layered texture
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5. intransitive verb spread: to grow or move out at an angle from a central line in a pattern resembling the structure of a feather
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6. transitive and intransitive verb rowing turn oar blade horizontal: to turn an oar so that the blade face is parallel to the water in order to reduce wind resistance when it is raised from the water between strokes
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7. transitive verb aviation alter position of propeller blades: to change the angle of an aircraft's propeller so that the line of the blades is roughly parallel to the line of flight and air resistance is minimized
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8. transitive verb joinery connect boards with tongue-and-groove joint: to join two boards or pieces of wood by using a tongue-and-groove joint
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| [ Old English feþer< Indo-European, "to fly"] |
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  feath·ered adjective |
| feath·er·like adjective |
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a feather in somebody's cap an act or achievement that gives somebody cause to be proud
Getting the award is a real feather in my cap.
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