ENGLISH
REFERENCE

feather

n. · v.
US //ˈfɛðɝ// UK //fˈɛðɐ// feath·er
  1. 1 on a bird (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    one of the soft, light things that cover a bird's body.

    one of the light, horny epidermal outgrowths that form the external covering or plumage of birds.

    Example

    The child found a bright blue feather on the grass near the pond.

    Example

    The biologist examined the microscopic structure of the feather to determine how it repelled water so effectively during the bird's dives.
  2. 2 kind or type (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    a type or kind of person, usually used in the phrase 'birds of a feather'.

    nature, character, or kind; almost exclusively used in the idiomatic expression 'birds of a feather'.

    Example

    Those two are birds of a feather; they both love old books.

    Example

    It was clear from their shared enthusiasm for the project that the two engineers were birds of a feather.
Show 3 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 to touch lightly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to touch something very gently or lightly.

    to touch, move, or apply something with a very light, delicate motion.

    Example

    She feathered the brake pedal to slow the car down gently.

    Example

    The artist feathered the edges of the paint to create a soft transition between the sky and the mountains.
  2. 4 rowing or aviation (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Engineering

    to turn an oar or a propeller blade so it moves through the air more easily.

    to rotate an oar or propeller blade to an angle that minimizes air or water resistance.

    Example

    The pilot had to feather the propeller after the engine failed.

    Example

    By feathering the oars at the end of each stroke, the rowing crew significantly reduced the drag caused by the headwind.
  3. 5 digital editing (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computing

    to make the edges of a digital picture look soft or blurry so it blends in.

    to soften the edges of a digital selection or image by blending pixels with the background.

    Example

    You should feather the edges of the photo so it doesn't look like a sticker.

    Example

    The graphic designer used a ten-pixel radius to feather the selection, ensuring the composite image looked natural against the new backdrop.
Origin

From Middle English feþer, from Old English feþer, from Proto-West Germanic feþru, from Proto-Germanic feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥ (“feather, wing”), from peth₂- (“to fly”). Cognate with West Frisian fear (“feather”), Cimbrian bèdara, fòdara (“pillowcase”), vèdara (“feather”), Dutch veder, veer (“feather”), German Feder (“feather”), German Low German Fedder (“feather”), Luxembourgish Fieder (“feather”), Vilamovian faoder (“feather”), Yiddish פֿעדער (feder, “feather”), Danish fjeder, fjer (“feather”), Faroese fjøður (“feather”), Icelandic fjöður (“feather”), Norwegian Bokmål fjær, fjør (“feather”), Norwegian Nynorsk fjøder, fjør (“feather”), Swedish fjäder (“feather”). Also Ancient Greek πέτομαι (pétomai, “to fly”), Albanian shpend (“bird”), Latin penna (“feather”), Old Armenian թիռ (tʻiṙ, “flight”). The sense correlated with splines and keys (noun sense 4) probably reflects analogy with the fletching sense (noun sense 3).

Word family
Idioms6 entries

© 2026 English Reference