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plume

feather, quill

noun PLÜM Less Common

Also means

pen (literary)

Usage Note

Plume originally meant a bird's feather and extended to the quill pen, then to writing ability: avoir de la plume means to be a talented writer. Un stylo à plume is a fountain pen. The expression voler dans les plumes de quelqu'un (literally 'to fly into someone's feathers') means to attack someone verbally.

Examples

"L'oiseau a perdu une plume."

Natural Translation

The bird lost a feather.

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