a secondary feather arising near the base of a contour feather
aftershaft in American English
(ˈæftərˌʃæft, ˈɑːftərˌʃɑːft)
noun Ornithology
1.
a supplementary feather, usually small, arising from the underside of the base of the shafts of certain feathers in many birds
2.
the shaft of such a feather
Derived forms
aftershafted
adjective
Word origin
[1865–70; after + shaft]This word is first recorded in the period 1865–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: batting average, dunk, figure skating, springboard, valence