To feather an oar

To feather an oar
Feather Feath"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Feathered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Feathering.}] 1. To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a cap. [1913 Webster]

An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow feathered from her own wing. --L'Estrange. [1913 Webster]

2. To adorn, as with feathers; to fringe. [1913 Webster]

A few birches and oaks still feathered the narrow ravines. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]

3. To render light as a feather; to give wings to.[R.] [1913 Webster]

The Polonian story perhaps may feather some tedious hours. --Loveday. [1913 Webster]

4. To enrich; to exalt; to benefit. [1913 Webster]

They stuck not to say that the king cared not to plume his nobility and people to feather himself. --Bacon. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

5. To tread, as a cock. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

{To feather one's nest}, to provide for one's self especially from property belonging to another, confided to one's care; -- an expression taken from the practice of birds which collect feathers for the lining of their nests.

{To feather an oar} (Naut), to turn it when it leaves the water so that the blade will be horizontal and offer the least resistance to air while reaching for another stroke.

{To tar and feather a person}, to smear him with tar and cover him with feathers, as a punishment or an indignity. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • feather — [feth′ər] n. [ME fether < OE; akin to Ger feder < IE base * pet , to fall, fly > Gr pteron, wing, piptein, L petere, to fall, Sans pátati, (he) flies] 1. Zool. any of the growths covering the body of a bird or making up a large part of… …   English World dictionary

  • Feather — Feath er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Feathered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Feathering.}] 1. To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a cap. [1913 Webster] An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow feathered from her own wing. L Estrange.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • feather — I. noun Etymology: Middle English fether, from Old English; akin to Old High German federa wing, Latin petere to go to, seek, Greek petesthai to fly, piptein to fall, pteron wing Date: before 12th century 1. a. any of the light horny epidermal… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • feather — featherless, adj. featherlessness, n. featherlike, adj. /fedh euhr/, n. 1. one of the horny structures forming the principal covering of birds, consisting typically of a hard, tubular portion attached to the body and tapering into a thinner,… …   Universalium

  • feather — /ˈfɛðə / (say fedhuh) noun 1. one of the epidermal appendages which together constitute the plumage of birds, being typically made up of a hard, tubelike portion (the quill) attached to the body of the bird, which passes into a thinner, stemlike… …  

  • feather — feath•er [[t]ˈfɛð ər[/t]] n. 1) orn one of the horny epidermal structures that form the principal covering of birds, consisting of a hollow shaft bearing a series of slender barbs that interlock to form a flat surface on each side 2) kind;… …   From formal English to slang

  • feather — Synonyms and related words: a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, air, bagatelle, bank, bauble, bead, bean, bejewel, beribbon, bespangle, bibelot, bit, blood, blubber, brand, brass farthing, breed, breeze, bubble, butter, button, cast,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • Oar — ([=o]r), n [AS. [=a]r; akin to Icel. [=a]r, Dan. aare, Sw. [*a]ra; perh. akin to E. row, v. Cf. {Rowlock}.] [1913 Webster] 1. An implement for impelling a boat, being a slender piece of timber, usually ash or spruce, with a grip or handle at one… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Oar cock — Oar Oar ([=o]r), n [AS. [=a]r; akin to Icel. [=a]r, Dan. aare, Sw. [*a]ra; perh. akin to E. row, v. Cf. {Rowlock}.] [1913 Webster] 1. An implement for impelling a boat, being a slender piece of timber, usually ash or spruce, with a grip or handle …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Feather — Feath er (f[e^][th] [ e]r), n. [OE. fether, AS. fe[eth]er; akin to D. veder, OHG. fedara, G. feder, Icel. fj[ o][eth]r, Sw. fj[ a]der, Dan. fj[ae]der, Gr. ptero n wing, feather, pe tesqai to fly, Skr. pattra wing, feather, pat to fly, and prob.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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