plumage

== English == === Etymology === From Late Middle English plumage, plummage (“bird’s feathers collectively, plumage; (falconry) feathers fed to a hawk to cause it to regurgitate, casting”), from Middle French plumage, plomage (“bird’s feathers collectively; person’s (showy) clothing”), from Old French plumage (“bird’s feathers collectively”) (modern French plumage), from plume (“feather, plume”) + -age (suffix forming nouns denoting a state of being). Plume is derived from Latin plūma (“feather, plume”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to flow; to fly; to run; etc.”), from Proto-Indo-European *plew- (“to flow; to fly; to run”). By surface analysis, plume +‎ -age (suffix forming nouns with a sense of appurtenance or collection). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) enPR: plo͞om'ĭj, (obsolete) plyo͞o-, IPA(key): /ˈpluːmɪd͡ʒ/, (obsolete) /ˈpljuː-/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈplumɪd͡ʒ/ Rhymes: -uːmɪdʒ Hyphenation: plum‧age === Noun === plumage (countable and uncountable, plural plumages) (ornithology, uncountable) The feathers covering the body of a bird collectively. Synonym: (obsolete) pennage (by extension) (archaic, uncountable) Feathers used ornamentally; feathering; (countable) a bunch or tuft of such feathers; a plume. (falconry, uncountable, obsolete) Feathers which are fed to a hawk to cause it to regurgitate, for the purpose of cleaning its crop; a type of casting. (figurative, uncountable) A person's dress, especially when elaborate or fine. A person's external appearance, especially when showy. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === == French == === Etymology === From plume +‎ -age. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ply.maʒ/ Rhymes: -aʒ === Noun === plumage m (plural plumages) (ornithology, collective noun) plumage (a bird's feathers, collectively speaking) Synonyms: (falconry) pennage, plumée ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “plumage”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012