Plumule

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Plumula \Plu"mu*la\, n.; pl. L. {Plumule}, E.{-las}. [L. See
     {Plumule}.]
     1. (Bot.) A plumule.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) A down feather.


        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Plumule \Plu"mule\, n. [L. plumula, dim. of pluma a feather; cf.
     F. plumule.]
     1. (Bot.) 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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.)
        (a) A down feather.
        (b) The aftershaft of a feather. See Illust. under
            {Feather}.
        (c) One of the featherlike scales of certain male
            butterflies.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  plumule
       n : down feather of young birds; persists in some adult birds