What is "plume"

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)

   1. A kind of grass ( Erianthus saccharoides) with the spikelets arranged in great silky plumes, growing in swamps in the Southern United States.

   2. The still finer Erianthus 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.

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 cornuta, syn. 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.

late 14c., "a feather" (especially a large and conspicuous one), from Old French plume "soft feather, down; feather bed," and directly from Latin pluma "a feather, down; the first beard," from PIE root *pleus- "to pluck; a feather, fleece" (source of Old English fleos "fleece"). Meaning "a long streamer of smoke, etc." is first attested 1878.

late 14c., "to pluck, strip," from plume (n.). From mid-15c. as "to adorn with plumes." Meaning "to dress the feathers" is from 1702. Related: Plumed; pluming.

n. 1 A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one. 2 The furry tail of certain dog breeds (e.g. Samoyed, Malteagle) that stands erect or curls over their backs. 3 A cluster of feathers worn as an ornament, especially on a helmet. 4 A token of honour or prowess; that on which one prides himself; a prize or reward. 5 An upward spray of water or mist. 6 (context geology English) An upwelling of molten material from the Earth's mantle. 7 (context astronomy English) An arc of glowing material erupting from the surface of a star. 8 A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses. vb. 1 (context transitive English) To preen and arrange the feathers of. 2 (context transitive English) To congratulate (oneself) proudly. 3 To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel. 4 To adorn with feathers or plumes. 5 To form a plume. 6 To write; to pen.

1. n. a feather or cluster of feathers worn as an ornament

2. the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds [syn: feather, plumage]

1. v. rip off; ask an unreasonable price [syn: overcharge, soak, surcharge, gazump, fleece, pluck, rob, hook] [ant: undercharge]

2. be proud of; "He prides himself on making it into law school" [syn: pride, congratulate]

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, primp, dress]

Plume may refer to:

Plume is a publishing company in the United States, founded in 1970 as the trade paperback imprint of New American Library. Today it is a division of Penguin Group, with a backlist of approximately 700 titles.

A plume is a special type of bird feather, possessed by egrets, ostriches, birds of paradise, quetzals, pheasants and peacocks. They often have a decorative or ornamental purpose, commonly used among marching bands and the military, worn on the hat or helmet of the wearer. When used on military headdresses, the clipped feather plume is referred to as the hackle.

Brightly colored plumes are used by American coot chicks to entice their parents to feed them more food. It is a form of chick ornament.

Category:Feathers

thumb|upright=1.5|alt=Controlled burn of oil on the ocean.|Controlled burn of oil, creating smoke plume In hydrodynamics, a plume is a column of one fluid moving through another. Several effects control the motion of the fluid, including momentum (inertia), diffusion and buoyancy (density differences). Pure jets and pure plumes define flows that are driven entirely by momentum and buoyancy effects, respectively. Flows between these two limits are usually described as forced plumes or buoyant jets. "Buoyancy is defined as being positive" when, in the absence of other forces or initial motion, the entering fluid would tend to rise. Situations where the density of the plume fluid is greater than its surroundings (i.e. in still conditions, its natural tendency would be to sink), but the flow has sufficient initial momentum to carry it some distance vertically, are described as being negatively buoyant.

Plume is a collection of poetry, written by Kathleen Flenniken. Published in 2012 by the University of Washington Press, the poetry presents a brief history of Richland, Washington and the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The author examines the actions of the US Department of Energy regarding the establishment and operation of Hanford, a nuclear production facility and how their actions affected the health of individuals and families living and working in or near the Reservation. While the US government assured the employees and families who lived in the area that they were safe from exposure to radioactive materials, declassified documents revealed that early protective measures were inadequate, while people were dying of radiation-induced illness. The book was a finalist for both the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America and the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, while it was the recipient of the Washington State Book Award in 2013.