1
- 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羽毛, 翎毛。
1.1
feathers
a fringe of long hair on the legs of a dog, horse, or other animal（狗、马等动物腿上的）丛毛。
1.2
- a small side branch on a tree（树的）侧枝。
1
- with obj. rotate the blades of (a propeller) about their own axes in such a way as to lessen the air or water resistance使（螺旋桨）顺流交距。
1.1
- vary the angle of attack of (rotor blades)使（旋翼）周期变距。
1.2
- Rowing turn (an oar) so that it passes through the air edgeways【划船】平掠回（桨）：
he turned, feathering one oar slowly.
他转过身来, 缓缓地平掠回桨。
2
- no obj., with adverbial float, move, or wave like a feather如羽毛般浮动（或移动、飘动）：
the green fronds feathered against a blue sky.
绿叶在蓝天的衬托下摇曳。
2.1
- with obj. and adverbial touch (someone or something) very lightly轻抚。
3
- with obj. blend or smooth delicately小心翼翼地把…混合起来（或把…弄平）：
feather the paint in, in a series of light strokes.
轻轻地连抹几下, 把涂料调抹进去。
4
- no obj.(of ink, lipstick, etc.) separate into tiny lines after application（油墨、口红等抹上后）化开, 变模糊：
as noun feathering a long-lasting formula that resists feathering and protects the lips.一种持久抗化和的保护双唇的配方。
5
- short for FEATHER-CUT.FEATHER-CUT的简称。
短语
a feather in one's cap
- an achievement to be proud of骄人的成就。
feather one's (own) nest
- make money illicitly and at someone else's expense营私, 中饱私囊。
(as) light as a feather
- extremely light and insubstantial轻如鸿毛。
派生词
featheriness
nounfeatherless
adjectivefeathery
adjective词源
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'.