[ˈfɛðə], (Noun)

Definitions:
- any of the flat appendages growing from a bird's skin and forming its plumage, consisting of a partly hollow horny shaft fringed with vanes of barbs
(e.g: the waxwing has very bright feathers and a prominent crest)


Phrases:
- a feather in one's cap
- feather one's nest
- light as a feather

Origin:
Old English fether, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch veer and German Feder, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit patra ‘wing’, Latin penna ‘feather’, and Greek pteron, pterux ‘wing’

[ˈfɛðə], (Verb)

Definitions:
- rotate the blades of (a propeller) about their own axes in such a way as to lessen the air or water resistance

- float or move like a feather
(e.g: the green fronds feathered against a blue sky)

- blend or smooth delicately
(e.g: feather the paint in, in a series of light strokes)

- (of ink, lipstick, etc.) separate into tiny lines after application
(e.g: the ink started to feather and smudge)



Phrases:
- a feather in one's cap
- feather one's nest
- light as a feather

Origin:
Old English fether, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch veer and German Feder, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit patra ‘wing’, Latin penna ‘feather’, and Greek pteron, pterux ‘wing’