downy

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈdaʊni/ UK /ˈdaʊni/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
covered with or resembling soft fine feathers or hair

The chick's downy feathers had not yet given way to plumage.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · covered with or resembling... fluffy soft feathery fuzzy velvety silky

Opposites

coarse rough bristly

Word family

Forms downily

Derived forms downiness

Related forms down

Etymology

From 'down' (soft fine feathers or hair) + the adjectival suffix '-y'. The noun 'down' in this sense is from Old Norse 'dúnn' ('down feathers').

dúnn Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# downy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈdaʊni
**IPA (UK):** ˈdaʊni

## Meanings
1. covered with or resembling soft fine feathers or hair

## Examples
- The chick's downy feathers had not yet given way to plumage.

## Synonyms
- fluffy
- soft
- feathery
- fuzzy
- velvety
- silky

## Antonyms
- coarse
- rough
- bristly

## Derived Forms
- downiness

## Related Forms
- down

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dúnn

## Etymology
From 'down' (soft fine feathers or hair) + the adjectival suffix '-y'. The noun 'down' in this sense is from Old Norse 'dúnn' ('down feathers').

## AI Etymology
Downy is from 'down' (soft fine feathers or hair) + the adjectival suffix '-y'. The noun 'down' in this sense is from Old Norse 'dúnn' ('down feathers'). The immediate etymological form is Old Norse dúnn. The suffix -y forms an adjective meaning characterized by the base, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as an adjective, it means "covered with or resembling soft fine feathers or hair", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include down; derived forms include downiness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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downy

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