plume

1 of 2

noun

1
: a feather of a bird: such as
a
: a large conspicuous or showy feather
c
d
: a cluster of distinctive feathers
2
a
: material (such as a feather, cluster of feathers, or a tuft of hair) worn as an ornament
b
: a token of honor or prowess : prize
3
: something resembling a feather (as in shape, appearance, or lightness): such as
a
: a plumose appendage of a plant
b
: an elongated and usually open and mobile column or band (as of smoke, exhaust gases, or blowing snow)
c
: an animal structure having a main shaft bearing many hairs or filamentous parts
especially : a full bushy tail
d
: any of several columns of molten rock rising from the earth's lower mantle that are theorized to drive tectonic plate movement and to underlie hot spots

Illustration of plume

Illustration of plume
  • P plume 2a

plume

2 of 2

verb

plumed; pluming

transitive verb

1
a
: to provide or deck with feathers
b
: to array showily
2
: to indulge (oneself) in pride with an obvious or vain display of self-satisfaction
3
of a bird
a
: to preen and arrange the feathers of (itself)
b
: to preen and arrange (feathers)

Examples of plume in a Sentence

Noun a hat with bright ostrich plumes the Nobel Prize for Literature is the plume that all authors covet Verb that jerk plumes himself on his supposed athletic skills
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The plumes of smoke and orange hues could be seen from the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, according to photos. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024 The close-ups showed a massive volcanic plume shooting from the moon’s surface, suggesting that Io wasn’t as geologically dead as traditionally thought. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 Massive plumes of smoke choked the horizon as the flames drove toward the town of 1,700. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope and the Galileo space probe have detected evidence of water plumes erupting from Europa’s surface, potentially indicating the subsurface sea has a source of heat that could sustain organisms. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 The aircraft is carrying a series of instruments for NASA, including gear designed to test new navigation and landing technology and how Odysseus’s exhaust plume interacts with lunar dirt. William Gavin, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024 Video replayed during the trial showed huge plumes of ash dwarfing the group of tourists, who had been escorted by tour guides from the jetty, where their boat had docked, to the crater. Chris Lau, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 But upon closer inspection, anomalies appear: The dust plumes don’t always quite line up with the car’s rear wheels. Tyler Remmel, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 The peninsula sits atop a mantle plume — a fountain of heat rising from Earth’s core-mantle boundary. Robin George Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
Not just the confetti, but also pyro in the form of fireballs pluming out from the sides of the stage and sparks showering down from the tops of it. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 High above her a column of black smoke plumed over the trees. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 3 May 2023 Not known for subtlety, Derby hats this year offered a range of colors and fabrics, from elegant to loud, floral to plumed and everything in between. The Styles Desk, New York Times, 6 May 2023 Crist explained to The Enquirer that acid rain often becomes a concern when there are continuous emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which typically originate from power plants with large smokestacks that push smoke plumes upward at high velocities. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 17 Feb. 2023 The initial eruption produced a ~15 kilometers plume that towered over the region and dumped upwards of 40 centimeters of ash and larger volcanic debris on some areas. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2015 Its most interesting ideas plume briefly, only to fizzle out like far-off firecrackers. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 13 June 2022 The map becomes distorted, and the insect no longer associates that plume with the flower. Jennifer Clare Ball, Wired, 25 Feb. 2022 Toilet plume aside, Winner says the steel surfaces, doorknobs, and toilet handles in a public restroom pose the greatest risk. Claire Gillespie, Health.com, 16 June 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plume.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin pluma small soft feather — more at fleece

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of plume was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near plume

Cite this Entry

“Plume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plume. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plume

1 of 2 noun
1
: a feather of a bird
especially : one that is large and showy
2
a
: a feather or tuft of feathers worn as an ornament (as on a hat)
b
: a deserved prize or reward
3
: something that resembles a feather (as in shape or lightness)
a plume of smoke
plumy
ˈplü-mē
adjective

plume

2 of 2 verb
plumed; pluming
1
: to provide or adorn with feathers
2
: to act with too much pride in oneself
plumed himself on his swimming skill
3
: to arrange the feathers of : preen
a bird pluming itself

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