What does plumeless mean?
Plumeless is an adjective meaning without feathers or plumage. It is used most often of birds and other animals whose normal covering consists of feathers, including young chicks, injured or moulting birds, and species that have naturally lost or never developed their plumage. The word is more technical and descriptive than the everyday expression “without feathers.” “Plumeless” can therefore describe either a temporary condition, such as a newly hatched or recently plucked bird, or a more permanent one, such as a bird born without the ability to grow normal feathers. Although uncommon in general writing, the term is useful in ornithology, natural-history description, wildlife rehabilitation, and discussions of feather loss or congenital conditions.
adjectiveLacking feathers or plumage. It is used especially of birds and other feathered animals.
- Having no feathers or plumage.
- Lacking a feathered covering or plume.
"The young bird lay motionless and completely plumeless in its nest."
"Newly hatched chicks are briefly plumeless and depend on their parents for warmth."
"The injured eagle remained plumeless after part of its wing feathers had been damaged."
Plumeless means literally “without feathers”—a surprisingly literal description for a bird that has lost its plumage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does plumeless come from?
The word is formed from “plume,” an English word for a feather or a cluster of feathers, together with the suffix “-less,” meaning “without.” The final “e” in “plume” is normally dropped before this suffix. “Plume” itself comes through Old French from Latin “pluma,” while related English forms include “plumage” and “plumery.”
How plumeless is actually used
This is a relatively uncommon, precise term, most often encountered in descriptions of birds, natural history, ornithology, and wildlife conservation.