Deplumate

/dɪˈpluːmeɪt/ verb

Definition

To remove feathers from; to strip of plumage or feathers (rare/technical term).

Etymology

From Latin deplumare (de- + pluma, 'feather'). This is a technical term most commonly used in biology or ornithology to describe feather loss or removal.

Kelly Says

This word lives almost exclusively in scientific journals where ornithologists need a precise term for what happens when birds lose feathers—it's an example of how English technical vocabularies create hyper-specific words that never enter everyday speech.

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