plume

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 ]