PLUMULE

plumule

(noun) down feather of young birds; persists in some adult birds

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

plumule (plural plumules)

(botany) The first bud, or gemmule, of a young plant; the bud, or growing point, of the embryo, above the cotyledons.

(zoology) A down feather.

(zoology) The aftershaft of a feather.

(zoology) One of the featherlike scales of certain male butterflies.

Source: Wiktionary

Plu"mule, n. Etym: [L. plumula, dim. of pluma a feather; cf. F. plumule.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: The first bud, or gemmule, of a young plant; the bud, or growing point, of the embryo, above the cotyledons. See Illust. of Radicle. Gray.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) A down feather. (b) The aftershaft of a feather. See Illust. under Feather. (c) One of the featherlike scales of certain male butterflies.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition