n. A feather or plume, or feather-shaped item, used as an adornment or ornament.
n. The feathery crown of some seeds (such as the dandelion)
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a long plume (especially one of egret feathers) worn on a hat or a piece of jewelry in the shape of a plume
Word Usage
"-- These unfortunate birds, cursed for all time by the commercially valuable "aigrette" plumes that they bear, have had a very narrow escape from total extinction in the United States, despite all the efforts made to save them."