plumage Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
feather; plume.

F., from plume a feather.

(Zoöl.) The entire clothing of a bird. ✍ It consist of the contour feathers, or the ordinary feathers covering the head, neck, and body; the tail feathers, with their upper and lower coverts; the wing feathers, including primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, with their coverts; and the down which lies beneath the contour feathers. See Illust. under Bird.