Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To pluck the feathers from.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To strip or pluck the feathers from; deprive of plumage; pluck.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To strip or pluck off the feather of; to deprive of of plumage.
  • transitive verb To lay bare; to expose.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To strip of feathers or plumage.
  • verb transitive, figuratively To lay bare; to expose.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb strip of feathers
  • verb strip of honors, possessions, or attributes

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English deplumen, from Old French deplumer, from Medieval Latin dēplūmāre : Latin dē-, de- + Latin plūma, feather.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin deplumare; Latin de- + plumare to cover with feathers, pluma feather: compare deplumis featherless, and French déplumer.

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