\Feath"er\, n. [OE. fether, AS. fe?der; akin to D.
veder, OHG. fedara, G. feder, Icel. fj["o]?r, Sw. fj["a]der,
Dan. fj[ae]der, Gr. ? wing, feather, ? to fly, Skr. pattra
wing, feathr, pat to fly, and prob. to L. penna feather,
wing. [root]76, 248. Cf. {Pen} a feather.]
1. One of the peculiar dermal appendages, of several kinds,
   belonging to birds, as contour feathers, quills, and down.
Note: An ordinary feather consists of the quill or hollow
      basal part of the stem; the shaft or rachis, forming
      the upper, solid part of the stem; the vanes or webs,
      implanted on the rachis and consisting of a series of
      slender lamin[ae] or barbs, which usually bear
      barbicels and interlocking hooks by which they are
      fastened together. See {Down}, {Quill}, {Plumage}.
2. Kind; nature; species; -- from the proverbial phrase,
   ``Birds of a feather,'' that is, of the same species. [R.]
         I am not of that feather to shake off My friend when
         he must need me.                      --Shak.
3. The fringe of long hair on the legs of the setter and some
   other dogs.
4. A tuft of peculiar, long, frizzly hair on a horse.
5. One of the fins or wings on the shaft of an arrow.
6. (Mach. & Carp.) A longitudinal strip projecting as a fin
   from an object, to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in
   another object and thereby prevent displacement sidwise
   but permit motion lengthwise; a spline.
7. A thin wedge driven between the two semicylindrical parts
   of a divided plug in a hole bored in a stone, to rend the
   stone. --Knight.
8. The angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float,
   with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or
   enters the water.
Note: Feather is used adjectively or in combination, meaning
      composed of, or resembling, a feather or feathers; as,
      feather fan, feather-heeled, feather duster.
{Feather alum} (Min.), a hydrous sulphate of alumina,
   resulting from volcanic action, and from the decomposition
   of iron pyrites; -- called also {halotrichite}. --Ure.
{Feather bed}, a bed filled with feathers.
{Feather driver}, one who prepares feathers by beating.
{Feather duster}, a dusting brush of feathers.
{Feather flower}, an artifical flower made of feathers, for
   ladies' headdresses, and other ornamental purposes.
{Feather grass} (Bot.), a kind of grass ({Stipa pennata})
   which has a long feathery awn rising from one of the
   chaffy scales which inclose the grain.
{Feather maker}, one who makes plumes, etc., of feathers,
   real or artificial.
{Feather ore} (Min.), a sulphide of antimony and lead,
   sometimes found in capillary forms and like a cobweb, but
   also massive. It is a variety of Jamesonite.
{Feather shot}, or {Feathered shot} (Metal.), copper
   granulated by pouring into cold water. --Raymond.
{Feather spray} (Naut.), the spray thrown up, like pairs of
   feathers, by the cutwater of a fast-moving vessel.
{Feather star}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Comatula}.
{Feather weight}. (Racing)
   (a) Scrupulously exact weight, so that a feather would
       turn the scale, when a jockey is weighed or weighted.
   (b) The lightest weight that can be put on the back of a
       horse in racing. --Youatt.
   (c) In wrestling, boxing, etc., a term applied to the
       lightest of the classes into which contestants are
       divided; -- in contradistinction to {light weight},
       {middle weight}, and {heavy weight}.
{A feather in the cap} an honour, trophy, or mark of
   distinction. [Colloq.]
{To be in full feather}, to be in full dress or in one's best
   clothes. [Collog.]
{To be in high feather}, to be in high spirits. [Collog.]
{To cut a feather}.
   (a) (Naut.) To make the water foam in moving; in allusion
       to the ripple which a ship throws off from her bows.
   (b) To make one's self conspicuous. [Colloq.]
{To show the white feather}, to betray cowardice, -- a white
   feather in the tail of a cock being considered an
   indication that he is not of the true game breed.

\Feath"er\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Feathered}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Feathering.}]
1. To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a
   cap.
         An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow
         feathered from her own wing.          --L'Estrange.
2. To adorn, as with feathers; to fringe.
         A few birches and oaks still feathered the narrow
         ravines.                              --Sir W.
                                               Scott.
3. To render light as a feather; to give wings to.[R.]
         The Polonian story perhaps may feather some tedions
         hours.                                --Loveday.
4. To enrich; to exalt; to benefit.
         They stuck not to say that the king cared not to
         plume his nobility and people to feather himself.
                                               --Bacon.
   --Dryden.
5. To tread, as a cock. --Dryden.
{To feather one's nest}, to provide for one's self especially
   from property belonging to another, confided to one's
   care; -- an expression taken from the practice of birds
   which collect feathers for the lining of their nests.
{To feather an oar} (Naut), to turn it when it leaves the
   water so that the blade will be horizontal and offer the
   least resistance to air while reaching for another stroke.
{To tar and feather a person}, to smear him with tar and
   cover him with feathers, as a punishment or an indignity.

\Feath"er\, v. i.
1. To grow or form feathers; to become feathered; -- often
   with out; as, the birds are feathering out.
2. To curdle when poured into another liquid, and float about
   in little flakes or ``feathers;'' as, the cream feathers
   [Colloq.]
3. To turn to a horizontal plane; -- said of oars.
         The feathering oar returns the gleam. --Tickell.
         Stopping his sculls in the air to feather
         accurately.                           --Macmillan's
                                               Mag.
4. To have the appearance of a feather or of feathers; to be
   or to appear in feathery form.
         A clump of ancient cedars feathering in evergreen
         beauty down to the ground.            --Warren.
         The ripple feathering from her bows.  --Tennyson.