feather
n. countablen. one of the soft, light things that cover a bird's body. They help birds fly and stay warm.
n. any of the light, flat structures forming the plumage of birds, consisting of a central shaft with fine barbs on either side.
The bird lost a small white feather while flying.
The pillow is filled with soft duck feathers to make it more comfortable for sleeping.
Archaeologists discovered fossilised remains that suggest some dinosaur species possessed primitive feathers, likely used for insulation or display rather than powered flight.
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).
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birds of a feather
People having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs.
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birds of a feather flock together
People of similar character, background or taste tend to congregate or associate with one another; it is easier to establish friendships with people that one has a lot in common with.
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feather in one's cap
An accomplishment; particularly one that is flaunted or boasted of.