plume

Everyday

1. A large, soft, beautiful feather, or a bunch of feathers worn as decoration. tree →
2. A long cloud of smoke, steam, dust or water that rises and spreads out. tree →
3. verb (rare): To rise in a plume, or for a bird to tidy its feathers. tree →

In the lessons

In stories, knights and soldiers wear plumes on their helmets; peacocks show off plumes. In geography and science, a volcano sends up a plume of ash; a factory sends plumes of smoke; a whale's breath makes a plume of spray. Phrases: «a plume of smoke», «a plume of ash», «feathered plume», «plume of steam».

Examples

• A plume of smoke rose from the chimney. tree →
• The volcano sent a huge plume of ash into the sky. tree →
• The knight wore a red plume on his helmet. tree →
• The peacock shook its plumes. tree →
• The whale blew a plume of spray. tree →
• Planes could not fly through the ash plume. tree →
• So he picked up some castoff feathers of the Peacocks and stuck them among his own black plumes. tree →

Note

Countable: a plume, plumes. Related: plumage (all of a bird's feathers). Pronounced «ploom». Trap: do not confuse with «plum» (a fruit) or «plumber».