deplume

See also: déplumé and déplume

English

Etymology

From French déplumer, from Latin dēplūmō, from dē- + plūmō (“to cover with feathers”), from plūma (“feather”). Compare dēplūmis (“featherless”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diːˈpluːm/

Verb

deplume (third-person singular simple present deplumes, present participle depluming, simple past and past participle deplumed)

1. (transitive) To strip of feathers or plumage.

   Synonym: defeather

   • 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC:

     On the depluming of the pope every bird had his own feather.

   • 2012, Ócha'ni Lele, Sacrificial Ceremonies of Santería:

     Before the birds are cut and quartered by the butchers they must be totally deplumed.

2. (transitive, figuratively) To lay bare; to expose.
   • c. 1841, Thomas De Quincey, Libellous Attacks...:

     the exposure and depluming […] of the leading humbugs of the age

Derived terms

• deplumation

 

References

• “deplume”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.