%plum%

n. [ L. cornu horn + pluma feather. ] (Zool.) A hornlike tuft of feathers on the head of some birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. diplumatus, p. p. of deplumare. See Deplume. ] (Zool.) Destitute or deprived of features; deplumed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Deplumate. ] 1. The stripping or falling off of plumes or feathers. Bp. Stillingfleet [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) A disease of the eyelids, attended with loss of the eyelashes. Thomas. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Deplumed p. pr. & vb. n. Depluming. ] [ LL. deplumare; L. de- + plumare to cover with feathers, pluma feather: cf. deplumis featherless, and F. déplumer. ] 1. To strip or pluck off the feather of; to deprive of of plumage. [ 1913 Webster ]

On the depluming of the pope every bird had his own feather. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To lay bare; to expose. [ 1913 Webster ]

The exposure and depluming of the leading humbugs of the age. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Displumed p. pr. & vb. n. Displuming. ] [ Pref. dis- + plume: cf. OF. desplumer, F. déplumer. ] To strip of, or as of, a plume, or plumes; to deprive of decoration; to dishonor; to degrade. [ 1913 Webster ]

Displumed, degraded, and metamorphosed. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Plumed. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having the structure of a filoplume. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. filum a thread &unr_; pluma a soft feather. ] (Zool.) A hairlike feather; a father with a slender scape and without a web in most or all of its length. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not plumed; without plumes or feathers; featherless. [ R. ] Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A small shrubby tree (Flacourtia indica) of Madagascar cultivated in tropical regions as a hedge plant and for its deep red acid fruits resembling small plums.
Syn. -- governor's plum, governor plum, Madagascar plum, ramontchi, batoko palm, Flacourtia indica. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

1. (Bot.) The drupaceous fruit of two South African shrubs of the genus Carissa (formerly Arduina) (Carissa bispinosa and Carissa grandiflora). It is also called amatungulu. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. the shrub bearing the natal plum{ 1 }; a very large closely branched South African shrub (Carissa grandiflora) of the dogbane family having forked bright green spines, white flowers, shiny leaves, and red berries. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n.; pl. E. -lumus, L. -la. [ L. ] A peplos. Hence: An overskirt hanging like an ancient peplos; also, a short fitted skirt attached to a waist or coat. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ AS. plūme, fr. L. prunum; akin to Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;. Cf. Prune a dried plum. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Bot.) The edible drupaceous fruit of the Prunus domestica, and of several other species of Prunus; also, the tree itself, usually called plum tree. [ 1913 Webster ]

The bullace, the damson, and the numerous varieties of plum, of our gardens, although growing into thornless trees, are believed to be varieties of the blackthorn, produced by long cultivation. G. Bentham. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Two or three hundred varieties of plums derived from the Prunus domestica are described; among them the greengage, the Orleans, the purple gage, or Reine Claude Violette, and the German prune, are some of the best known. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Among the true plums are;
Beach plum, the Prunus maritima, and its crimson or purple globular drupes, --
Bullace plum. See Bullace. --
Chickasaw plum, the American Prunus Chicasa, and its round red drupes. --
Orleans plum, a dark reddish purple plum of medium size, much grown in England for sale in the markets. --
Wild plum of America, Prunus Americana, with red or yellow fruit, the original of the Iowa plum and several other varieties. [ 1913 Webster ] Among plants called plum, but of other genera than Prunus, are;
Australian plum, Cargillia arborea and Cargillia australis, of the same family with the persimmon. --
Blood plum, the West African Hæmatostaphes Barteri. --
Cocoa plum, the Spanish nectarine. See under Nectarine. --
Date plum. See under Date. --
Gingerbread plum, the West African Parinarium macrophyllum. --
Gopher plum, the Ogeechee lime. --
Gray plum,
Guinea plum. See under Guinea. --
Indian plum, several species of Flacourtia. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A grape dried in the sun; a raisin. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A handsome fortune or property; formerly, in cant language, the sum of £100, 000 sterling; also, the person possessing it. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Something likened to a plum in desirableness; a good or choice thing of its kind, as among appointments, positions, parts of a book, etc.; as, the mayor rewarded his cronies with cushy plums, requiring little work for handsome pay [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

5. A color resembling that of a plum; a slightly grayish deep purple, varying somewhat in its red or blue tint. [ PJC ]

Plum bird,
Plum budder (Zool.), the European bullfinch. --
Plum gouger (Zool.), a weevil, or curculio (Coccotorus scutellaris), which destroys plums. It makes round holes in the pulp, for the reception of its eggs. The larva bores into the stone and eats the kernel. --
Plum weevil (Zool.), an American weevil which is very destructive to plums, nectarines, cherries, and many other stone fruits. It lays its eggs in crescent-shaped incisions made with its jaws. The larva lives upon the pulp around the stone. Called also turk, and plum curculio. See Illust. under Curculio. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Plumæ [ L. ] (Zool.) A feather. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., from plume a feather. ] (Zool.) The entire clothing of a bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. plumasseau. ] A plume or collection of ornamental feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] One who prepares or deals in ornamental plumes or feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. plomb, L. plumbum lead, a leaden ball or bullet; cf. Gr. mo`lybos, mo`libos, mo`lybdos. Cf. Plummet, Plunge. ] A little mass or weight of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction; a plummet; a plumb bob. See Plumb line, below. [ 1913 Webster ]

Plumb bob. See Bob, 4. --
Plumb joint, in sheet-metal work, a lap joint, fastened by solder. --
Plumb level. See under Level. --
Plumb line. (a) The cord by which a plumb bob is suspended; a plummet. (b) A line directed to the center of gravity of the earth. --
Plumb rule, a narrow board with a plumb line, used by builders and carpenters. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Perpendicular; vertical; conforming the direction of a line attached to a plumb; as, the wall is plumb. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a plumb direction; perpendicularly. “Plumb down he falls.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Plumbed p. pr. & vb. n. Plumbing ] 1. To adjust by a plumb line; to cause to be perpendicular; as, to plumb a building or a wall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To sound with a plumb or plummet, as the depth of water; hence, to examine by test; to ascertain the depth, quality, dimension, etc.; to sound; to fathom; to test. [ 1913 Webster ]

He did not attempt to plumb his intellect. Ld. Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To seal with lead; as, to plumb a drainpipe. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To supply, as a building, with a system of plumbing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Leadwork [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. plumbago leadwort, fr. plumbum lead; cf. F. plombagin. ] (Chem.) A crystalline substance said to be found in the root of a certain plant of the Leadwort (Plumbago) family. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Pertaining to natural order (Plumbagineæ) of gamopetalous herbs, of which Plumbago is the type. The order includes also the marsh rosemary, the thrift, and a few other genera. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Resembling plumbago; consisting of, or containing, plumbago; as, a plumbaginous slate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., from plumbum lead. ] 1. (Min.) Same as Graphite. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous plants with pretty salver-shaped corollas, usually blue or violet; leadwort. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. plumbeus, from plumbum the metal lead. ] 1. Consisting of, or resembling, lead. J. Ellis. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Dull; heavy; stupid. [ R. ] J. P. Smith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. plombier. See Plumb. ] One who works in lead; esp., one who furnishes, fits, and repairs lead pipes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: Any worker who installs or repairs piping and related equipment for conveyance of water, gas, or drainage into or out of buildings, or within buildings to fixtures or equipment using water. The type of material used for the conduits varies with the application, and may be may be of lead, iron, copper, glass, palstic, or other material. [ PJC ]

A pillow block. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. plomberie. ] 1. The business of a plumber. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A place where plumbing is carried on; lead works. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Plumbum. ] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, resembling, or containing, lead; -- used specifically to designate those compounds in which it has a higher valence as contrasted with plumbous compounds; as, plumbic oxide. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Plumbum + -ferous. ] Producing or containing lead. Kirwan. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The art of casting and working in lead, and applying it to building purposes; especially, the business of furnishing, fitting, and repairing pipes for conducting water, sewage, etc. Gwilt. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The lead or iron pipes, and other apparatus, used in conveying water, sewage, etc., in a building. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Plumbum. ] (Med.) A diseased condition, produced by the absorption of lead, common among workers in this metal or in its compounds, as among painters, typesetters, etc. It is characterized by various symptoms, as lead colic, lead line, and wrist drop. See under Colic, Lead, and Wrist. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Plumbum. ] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or containing, lead; -- used specifically to designate those compounds in which it has a lower valence as contrasted with plumbic compounds. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L. ] (Chem.) The technical name of lead. See Lead. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Plum + apricot. ] (Hort.) A cross between the plum and apricot. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F., fr. L. pluma. Cf. Fly, v. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long, conspicuous, or handsome feather. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wings . . . of many a colored plume. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) An ornamental tuft of feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A feather, or group of feathers, worn as an ornament; a waving ornament of hair, or other material resembling feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

His high plume, that nodded o'er his head. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A token of honor or prowess; that on which one prides himself; a prize or reward. “Ambitious to win from me some plume.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Bot.) A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

Plume bird (Zool.), any bird that yields ornamental plumes, especially the species of Epimarchus from New Guinea, and some of the herons and egrets, as the white heron of Florida (Ardea candidissima). --
Plume grass. (Bot) (a) A kind of grass (Erianthus saccharoides) with the spikelets arranged in great silky plumes, growing in swamps in the Southern United States. (b) The still finer Erianthus Ravennæ from the Mediterranean region. The name is sometimes extended to the whole genus. --
Plume moth (Zool.), any one of numerous small, slender moths, belonging to the family Pterophoridæ. Most of them have the wings deeply divided into two or more plumelike lobes. Some species are injurious to the grapevine. --
Plume nutmeg (Bot.), an aromatic Australian tree (Atherosperma moschata), whose numerous carpels are tipped with long plumose persistent styles. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Plumed p. pr. & vb. n. Pluming. ] [ Cf. F. plumer to pluck, to strip, L. plumare to cover with feathers. ] 1. To pick and adjust the plumes or feathers of; to dress or prink. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pluming her wings among the breezy bowers. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel. [ Obs. ] Bacon. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To adorn with feathers or plumes. “Farewell the plumed troop.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To pride; to vaunt; to boast; -- used reflexively; as, he plumes himself on his skill. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

Plumed adder (Zool.), an African viper (Vipera cornuta, syn. Clotho cornuta), having a plumelike structure over each eye. It is venomous, and is related to the African puff adder. Called also horned viper and hornsman. --
Plumed partridge (Zool.), the California mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus). See Mountain quail, under Mountain. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Without plumes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Plume + -let. ] A small plume. [ 1913 Webster ]

When rosy plumelets tuft the larch. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Plumes, collectively or in general; plumage. [ R. ] Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. pluma feather + cornu horn. ] (Zool.) An ear tuft of feathers, as in the horned owls. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. plumiger; pluma a feather + gerere to bear. ] Feathered; having feathers. Bailey [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. plumula, or plumella a little feather (dim. of pluma feather) + -form. ] Having the of a plume or feather. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. plumipes, -edis; pluma a feather + pes: cf. F. plumipède. ] (Zool.) Having feet covered with feathers. -- n. A plumiped bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. plommet, OF. plommet, fr. plom, plum, lead, F. plomb. See Plumb. ] 1. A piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water. [ 1913 Webster ]

I'll sink him deeper than e'er plummet sounded. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A plumb bob or a plumb line. See under Plumb, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Hence, any weight. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A piece of lead formerly used by school children to rule paper for writing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Plummet line, a line with a plummet; a sounding line. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Plumb. ] (Min.) The operation of finding, by means of a mine dial, the place where to sink an air shaft, or to bring an adit to the work, or to find which way the lode inclines. [ 1913 Webster ]