DOWNY

downy, pubescent, puberulent, sericeous

(adjective) covered with fine soft hairs or down; “downy milkweed seeds”

downy, downlike, flossy, fluffy

(adjective) like down or as soft as down

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Adjective

downy (comparative downier, superlative downiest)

Having down, covered with a soft fuzzy coating as of small feathers or hair.

Sharp-witted, perceptive.

Etymology 2

From the noun.

Noun

downy (plural downies)

A blanket filled with down; a duvet.

Source: Wiktionary


Down"y, a.

1. Covered with down, or with pubescence or soft hairs. "A downy feather." Shak. Plants that . . . have downy or velvet rind upon their leaves. Bacon.

2. Made of, or resembling, down. Hence, figuratively: Soft; placid; soothing; quiet. "A downy shower." Keble. "Downy pillow." Pope. Time steals on with downy feet. Young.

3. Cunning; wary. [Slang, Eng.] Latham.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. When coffee berries turn from green to bright red – indicating ripeness – they are picked, processed, and dried. Dried coffee seeds are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor.

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