plume moth

1 definition found

plume moth - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Plume \Plume\, n. [F., fr. L. pluma. Cf. Fly, v.]
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     1. A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long,
        conspicuous, or handsome feather.
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              Wings . . . of many a colored plume.  --Milton.
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     2. (Zool.) An ornamental tuft of feathers.
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     3. A feather, or group of feathers, worn as an ornament; a
        waving ornament of hair, or other material resembling
        feathers.
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              His high plume, that nodded o'er his head. --Dryden.
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     4. A token of honor or prowess; that on which one prides
        himself; a prize or reward. "Ambitious to win from me some
        plume." --Milton.
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     5. (Bot.) A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence
        resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large
        ornamental grasses.
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     Plume bird (Zool.), any bird that yields ornamental plumes,
        especially the species of Epimarchus from New Guinea, and
        some of the herons and egrets, as the white heron of
        Florida (Ardea candidissima).
  
     Plume grass. (Bot)
        (a) A kind of grass (Erianthus saccharoides) with the
            spikelets arranged in great silky plumes, growing in
            swamps in the Southern United States.
        (b) The still finer Erianthus Ravenn[ae] from the
            Mediterranean region. The name is sometimes extended
            to the whole genus.
  
     Plume moth (Zool.), any one of numerous small, slender
        moths, belonging to the family Pterophorid[ae]. Most of
        them have the wings deeply divided into two or more
        plumelike lobes. Some species are injurious to the
        grapevine.
  
     Plume nutmeg (Bot.), an aromatic Australian tree
        (Atherosperma moschata), whose numerous carpels are
        tipped with long plumose persistent styles.
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