feather
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishBirdsfeatherfeath‧er1 /ˈfeðə $ -ər/ ●●○ noun [countable]1
HBBone of the light soft things that cover a bird’s bodyan ostrich featherfeather bed/pillow etc (=a bed etc that is filled with feathers)2 → a feather in your cap → light as a feather2(4), → birds of a feather, → ruffle somebody’s feathers1(2)Examples from the Corpusfeather• The baby slept in the bottom drawer of the dresser: the kitten had a feather cushion.• This is a hook which has material and feathers tied on to it.• Today, the cheapest chicken feed consists of fishmeal, chicken feathers and chicken innards.• an eagle feather• This makes the wings very soft to the touch and probably cuts down noise from feathers moving against one another during flight.• A little feather here or some kind of detail livens the moment.• Those cells which can form pigment migrate beneath the skin and enter all the feather germs.• In the latter method, the feathers are removed after a hot-water bath.• Their voices were feathers, falling leaves, water seeping into its table. feather bed/pillow etc• Without Rice to fall back on like a feather bed of dreams, the 49ers made the transition from specificity to diversity.• It's far better to ruin a feather pillow than let yourself overflow in violent behaviour. Other sportsfeatherfeather2 verb [transitive]1 → feather your nest2 DSOto put feathers on an arrow → tar and feather somebody→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpusfeather• It was still a quarter of a mile beyond the line-up and it was already feathering.• The primary bevels were ground back and feathered away on the grindstone, taking care not to overheat and destroy the temper.• A small shiver of apprehension feathered her spine.• So long as they were in favour, they were free to feather their nests, which Andrei did as industriously as anyone else.Origin feather1 Old English fether
HBBone of the light soft things that cover a bird’s bodyan ostrich featherfeather bed/pillow etc (=a bed etc that is filled with feathers)2 → a feather in your cap → light as a feather2(4), → birds of a feather, → ruffle somebody’s feathers1(2)Examples from the Corpusfeather• The baby slept in the bottom drawer of the dresser: the kitten had a feather cushion.• This is a hook which has material and feathers tied on to it.• Today, the cheapest chicken feed consists of fishmeal, chicken feathers and chicken innards.• an eagle feather• This makes the wings very soft to the touch and probably cuts down noise from feathers moving against one another during flight.• A little feather here or some kind of detail livens the moment.• Those cells which can form pigment migrate beneath the skin and enter all the feather germs.• In the latter method, the feathers are removed after a hot-water bath.• Their voices were feathers, falling leaves, water seeping into its table. feather bed/pillow etc• Without Rice to fall back on like a feather bed of dreams, the 49ers made the transition from specificity to diversity.• It's far better to ruin a feather pillow than let yourself overflow in violent behaviour. Other sportsfeatherfeather2 verb [transitive]1 → feather your nest2 DSOto put feathers on an arrow → tar and feather somebody→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpusfeather• It was still a quarter of a mile beyond the line-up and it was already feathering.• The primary bevels were ground back and feathered away on the grindstone, taking care not to overheat and destroy the temper.• A small shiver of apprehension feathered her spine.• So long as they were in favour, they were free to feather their nests, which Andrei did as industriously as anyone else.Origin feather1 Old English fether