plume

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A large, showy feather, often used as a decoration.

   The hat was topped with a bright ostrich plume.

2. 2
   noun

   A rising cloud of smoke, dust, or similar that spreads as it goes up.

   A thick plume of smoke rose from the burning factory.

3. 3
   verb

   To feel very proud of oneself, often over something small.

   He plumed himself on winning a game that hardly mattered.

Sense 1 (“to adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes”) is derived from Anglo-Norman plumer (“to cover with or provide with feathers”), or its etymon Latin plūmāre, the present active infinitive of plūmō (“to grow feathers, to fledge; to cover with feathers, to feather; to embroider with a feathery pattern”) (and compare Late Latin plūmō (“to attach feathers to arrows; of a hawk: to pluck the feathers from prey; (figurative) to celebrate, praise”)), from plūma (“feather; plumage; down”) (see etymology 1) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). Senses 2–4 (“to arrange and…

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