deplume

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See also: déplumé and déplume

English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Verb

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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, (please specify |book=I to XI):
      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

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References

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