Feath"er (f&ebreve;&thlig;"&etilde;r),
n. [OE. fether, AS. feðer; akin
to D. veder, OHG. fedara, G. feder, Icel.
fjöðr, Sw. fjäder, Dan.
fjæder, Gr. ptero`n wing, feather,
pe`tesqai to fly, Skr. pattra wing, feather,
pat to fly, and prob. to L. penna feather, wing.
√76, 248. Cf. Pen a feather.] 1.
One of the peculiar dermal appendages, of several kinds,
belonging to birds, as contour feathers, quills, and down.
&fist; An ordinary feather consists of the quill or hollow basal
part of the stem; the shaft or rachis, forming the upper, solid part
of the stem; the vanes or webs, implanted on the rachis and
consisting of a series of slender laminæ or barbs, which
usually bear barbules, which in turn usually bear barbicels and
interlocking hooks by which they are fastened together. See
Down, Quill, Plumage.
2. Kind; nature; species; -- from the
proverbial phrase, "Birds of a feather," that is, of the same
species. [R.]
I am not of that feather to shake off
My friend when he must need me.
Shak.
3. The fringe of long hair on the legs of the
setter and some other dogs.
4. A tuft of peculiar, long, frizzly hair on
a horse.
5. One of the fins or wings on the shaft of
an arrow.
6. (Mach. & Carp.) A longitudinal
strip projecting as a fin from an object, to strengthen it, or to
enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement
sidwise but permit motion lengthwise; a spline.
7. A thin wedge driven between the two
semicylindrical parts of a divided plug in a hole bored in a stone,
to rend the stone. Knight.
8. The angular adjustment of an oar or
paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves
or enters the water.
&fist; Feather is used adjectively or in combination,
meaning composed of, or resembling, a feather or
feathers; as, feather fan, feather-heeled,
feather duster.
Feather alum (Min.), a hydrous
sulphate of alumina, resulting from volcanic action, and from the
decomposition of iron pyrites; -- called also
halotrichite. Ure. -- Feather
bed, a bed filled with feathers. --
Feather driver, one who prepares feathers by
beating. -- Feather duster, a dusting
brush of feathers. -- Feather flower, an
artifical flower made of feathers, for ladies' headdresses, and other
ornamental purposes. -- Feather grass
(Bot.), a kind of grass (Stipa pennata) which has a
long feathery awn rising from one of the chaffy scales which inclose
the grain. -- Feather maker, one who makes
plumes, etc., of feathers, real or artificial. --
Feather ore (Min.), a sulphide of
antimony and lead, sometimes found in capillary forms and like a
cobweb, but also massive. It is a variety of Jamesonite. --
Feather shot, or Feathered shot
(Metal.), copper granulated by pouring into cold
water. Raymond. -- Feather spray
(Naut.), the spray thrown up, like pairs of feathers, by
the cutwater of a fast-moving vessel. -- Feather
star. (Zoöl.) See Comatula. --
Feather weight. (Racing) (a)
Scrupulously exact weight, so that a feather would turn the
scale, when a jockey is weighed or weighted. (b)
The lightest weight that can be put on the back of a horse in
racing. Youatt. (c) In wrestling,
boxing, etc., a term applied to the lightest of the classes into
which contestants are divided; -- in contradistinction to light
weight, middle weight, and heavy weight. --
A feather in the cap an honour, trophy, or mark
of distinction. [Colloq.] -- To be in full
feather, to be in full dress or in one's best
clothes. [Collog.] -- To be in high feather,
to be in high spirits. [Collog.] -- To cut a
feather. (a) (Naut.) To make the
water foam in moving; in allusion to the ripple which a ship throws
off from her bows. (b) To make one's self
conspicuous. [Colloq.] -- To show the white
feather, to betray cowardice, -- a white feather in the
tail of a cock being considered an indication that he is not of the
true game breed.
Feath"er (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Feathered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Feathering.] 1. To furnish with a feather
or feathers, as an arrow or a cap.
An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow
feathered from her own wing.
L'Estrange.
2. To adorn, as with feathers; to
fringe.
A few birches and oaks still feathered the
narrow ravines.
Sir W. Scott.
3. To render light as a feather; to give
wings to.[R.]
The Polonian story perhaps may feather some
tedious hours.
Loveday.
4. To enrich; to exalt; to benefit.
They stuck not to say that the king cared not to plume
his nobility and people to feather himself.
Bacon. Dryden.
5. To tread, as a cock.
Dryden.
To feather one's nest, to provide for one's
self especially from property belonging to another, confided to one's
care; -- an expression taken from the practice of birds which collect
feathers for the lining of their nests. -- To feather an
oar (Naut), to turn it when it leaves the water
so that the blade will be horizontal and offer the least resistance
to air while reaching for another stroke. -- To tar and
feather a person, to smear him with tar and cover him
with feathers, as a punishment or an indignity.
Feath"er, v. i. 1.
To grow or form feathers; to become feathered; -- often with
out; as, the birds are feathering out.
2. To curdle when poured into another liquid,
and float about in little flakes or "feathers;" as, the cream
feathers. [Colloq.]
3. To turn to a horizontal plane; -- said of
oars.
The feathering oar returns the
gleam.
Tickell.
Stopping his sculls in the air to feather
accurately.
Macmillan's Mag.
4. To have the appearance of a feather or of
feathers; to be or to appear in feathery form.
A clump of ancient cedars feathering in
evergreen beauty down to the ground.
Warren.
The ripple feathering from her
bows.
Tennyson.
