WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
feath•er•y
(feᵺ′ə rē),USA pronunciation adj.
feath′er•i•ness, n.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- clothed or covered with feathers;
feathered. - resembling feathers;
light;
airy;
unsubstantial:feathery clouds.
- feather + -y1 1570–80
feath•er /ˈfɛðɚ/USA pronunciation
n.
v. [~ + object]
feath•ered, adj.
feath•er•y, adj., -i•er, -i•est.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Birds[countable] one of the light, horny structures that form the principal covering of birds.
- condition, as of health, spirits, etc.:[uncountable]feeling in fine feather after a vacation.
v. [~ + object]
- to clothe or cover with or as if with feathers.
- Idioms a feather in one's cap, a praiseworthy achievement;
honor:It was a feather in his cap to be named to the town council. - Idioms feather one's nest, to enrich oneself by using one's favorable or privileged position:feathered her own nest instead of helping her clients.
feath•ered, adj.
feath•er•y, adj., -i•er, -i•est.
feath•er
(feᵺ′ər),USA pronunciation n.
v.t.
v.i.
feath′er•less, adj.
feath′er•less•ness, n.
feath′er•like′, adj.
- Birdsone of the horny structures forming the principal covering of birds, consisting typically of a hard, tubular portion attached to the body and tapering into a thinner, stemlike portion bearing a series of slender, barbed processes that interlock to form a flat structure on each side.
- kind;
character;
nature:two boys of the same feather. - Zoologysomething like a feather, as a tuft or fringe of hair.
- something very light, small, or trivial:Your worry is a mere feather.
- [Archery.]one of the vanes at the tail of an arrow or dart.
- Building[Carpentry.]a spline for joining the grooved edges of two boards.
- Building[Masonry.]See under plug and feathers.
- Jewelrya featherlike flaw, esp. in a precious stone.
- Mechanical Engineering[Mach.]See feather key.
- [Archaic.]attire.
- [Obs.]plumage.
- Idioms a feather in one's cap, a praiseworthy accomplishment;
distinction;
honor:Being chosen class president is a feather in her cap. - Idioms birds of a feather. See bird (def. 12).
- Idioms in fine or high feather, in good form, humor, or health:feeling in fine feather.
- Idioms ruffle someone's feathers, to anger, upset, or annoy (another person).
- Idioms smooth one's ruffled or rumpled feathers, to regain one's composure;
become calm:After the argument, we each retired to our own rooms to smooth our ruffled feathers.
v.t.
- to provide with feathers, as an arrow.
- to clothe or cover with or as with feathers.
- Sport[Rowing.]to turn (an oar) after a stroke so that the blade becomes nearly horizontal, and hold it thus as it is moved back into position for the next stroke.
- [Aeron.]
- to change the blade angle of (a propeller) so that the chords of the blades are approximately parallel to the line of flight.
- to turn off (an engine) while in flight.
v.i.
- Birdsto grow feathers.
- to be or become feathery in appearance.
- to move like feathers.
- Sport[Rowing.]to feather an oar.
- Dialect Terms feather into, [South Midland U.S.]to attack (a person, task, or problem) vigorously.
- Idioms feather one's nest, to take advantage of the opportunities to enrich oneself:The mayor had used his term of office to feather his nest.
- bef. 900; Middle English, Old English fether; cognate with Dutch veder, German Feder, Old Norse fjǫthr; akin to Greek pterón, Sanskrit pátram wing, feather
feath′er•less•ness, n.
feath′er•like′, adj.
'feathery' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
achene
- barnacle
- cockscomb
- crinoid
- egret
- fennel
- mudpuppy
- old man's beard
- pampas grass
- pappus
- plume
- plumose
- plumy
- ponga
- royal palm
- tamarisk
- taraxacum
- thistle
- thistledown
- thrips
- toitoi
- traveller's joy
- water milfoil
- willowherb
- albizzia
- Apache plume
- ball fern
- Barbados pride
- beefwood
- brush
- burning bush
- California poppy
- down
- feather
- featherback
- feather-duster worm
- feather grass
- fledgy
- lady fern
- love-in-a-mist
- moth
- partridge pea
- plumage
- powder puff
- Scythian lamb
- sertularian
- silk oak
- silver wattle
- snowflake
- standing cypress