plume

CEFRC1

/ˈpluːm/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A large feather or a cloud of smoke or dust.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A cluster of feathers worn as an ornament, especially on a helmet; a hackle.

Examples

  • There was a plume of smoke coming from the shack.

  • After the explosion, a plume of smoke could be seen in the sky for miles around.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈpljuːm/
  • /ˈplum/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings
  1. A token of honour or prowess; that on which one prides oneself; a prize or reward.

  2. A feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one used as a decoration.

  3. The vane (“flattened, web-like part”) of a feather, especially when on a quill pen or the fletching of an arrow.

More examples

In context
  • Follow my white plume!

  • He plumes himself on his skill.

  • Near-synonym: aigrette

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The volcano erupted, sending a thick blank of ash high into the sky.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Late Middle English plum, plume (“feather; plumage”), from Anglo-Norman plum, plume, from Old French plume, plome (“feather, plumage”), from Latin plūma (“feather, plumage”) (compare Late Latin plūma (“pen, quill”)), from Proto-Italic *plouksmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to fly”). Doublet of pluma.