释义 |
feather /fedhˈər/ noun- One of the light growths that form the soft covering of a bird
- Anything resembling this, eg an ornament
- A set of these, or synthetic substitutes, on the end of an arrow, to aid flight
- Plumage
- Condition
- Birds collectively
- Anything light or trifling
- A projecting longitudinal rib or strip
- Feather-edge
- A wedge
- A formation of hair, eg on the legs of certain breeds of dog or horse
- The act of moving an oar edgewise through the air, to lessen resistance
- A foamy wave or wave crest, esp that caused by a submarine's periscope
transitive verb- To provide, cover or adorn with a feather or feathers
- To turn (an oar) parallel to the water, to lessen air-resistance, or to make (a propeller-blade, etc) rotate in such a way as to lessen resistance
- To shape (hair) by trimming and thinning
- To touch lightly
intransitive verb- To take on the appearance of a feather
- To quiver the tail
ORIGIN: OE fether; Ger Feder; L penna, Gr pteron feathˈered adjective - Covered or fitted with feathers, or anything featherlike
- Like the flight of a feathered animal, swift
feathˈeriness noun feathˈering noun - Plumage
- The addition of a feather or feathers
- A featherlike appearance
- An arrangement of small arcs separated by cusps, within an arch (architecture)
feathˈerlike adjective feathˈery adjective Relating to, resembling, or covered with feathers or an appearance of feathers feather bed noun A mattress filled with feathers or down feathˈerbed transitive verb - To pamper
- To protect (an industry, workers, etc) by such practices as overmanning in order to save jobs
- To provide with financial inducements (informal)
featherbedˈding noun feathˈer-boarding same as weatherboarding (see under weather) feather-bonnˈet noun A Highland soldier's feather-covered headdress feathˈer-brain noun (also feathˈer-head or feathˈer-pate (archaic) ) a frivolous, silly person feathˈer-brained (also feathˈer-headed) adjective feather cut noun A style of haircut in which the hair is left thin and fine in texture feather duster noun A light brush of feathers, used for dusting feathˈer-edge noun An edge of a board or plank thinner than the other edge feathˈer-grass noun A perennial grass (genus Stipa) with a feathery beard feather palm noun Any palm with feather-shaped leaves feather star see crinoid feather stitch noun One of a series of stitches making a zigzag line feathˈerweight noun - The lightest weight that may be carried by a racehorse
- A weight category, applied esp in boxing
- A sportsperson of the specified weight for the category (eg in professional boxing above bantamweight, junior featherweight or super bantamweight (maximum 55kg/122lb), featherweight (maximum 57kg/126lb), and super featherweight or junior lightweight (maximum 59kg/130lb))
- Anyone of little consequence
a feather in one's cap An achievement of which one can be proud birds of a feather People of similar character feathered friend (humorous) A bird feather one's nest To accumulate wealth for oneself while working for others in a position of trust in full or high feather Greatly elated or in high spirits make the feathers fly To create a turmoil or uproar ruffle someone's feathers To upset or offend someone show the white feather To show signs of cowardice, a white feather in a gamecock's tail being considered as a sign of degeneracy tar and feather see under tar1 you could have knocked me down with a feather I was astounded nest /nest/ noun- A structure prepared by animals for egg-laying, brooding and nursing, or as a shelter
- A place of retreat, resort, residence, or lodgement
- A den
- A comfortable residence
- An edible receptacle in which food is served, such as a meringue nest
- A group of machine-guns in a position fortified or screened by sandbags or anything similar
- A place where anything (esp anything undesirable) teems, prevails or is fostered
- The occupants of a nest, eg a brood, a swarm, a gang, etc
- A set of things (eg boxes or tables) fitting one within another
- A set of buildings, eg factories, divided into blocks and units
- An accumulation
- A tangled mass
intransitive verb- To build or occupy a nest
- To go bird-nesting
transitive verb and intransitive verb- To lodge or settle
- To fit or place together or within another
transitive verb- To group (words derived from the same root) together under one headword in a dictionary
- To embed (a subroutine or block of data) within a larger one (computing)
ORIGIN: OE nest; Ger Nest, L nīdus nestˈer noun - Someone who builds a farm or homestead on land used for grazing cattle (US historical; derogatory)
- A creature that builds a nest
nestˈful noun nestˈing noun nestˈlike adjective nest box or nesting box noun A box set up for birds to nest in nest egg noun - An egg, real or sham, left or put in a nest to encourage laying
- Something laid up as the beginning of an accumulation
- Money saved
nestˈing-place noun feather one's nest see under feather |