Large, soft, fluffy feathers, especially from birds; also columns of smoke or gas rising into the air.
From Old French 'plume' and Latin 'pluma' (feather). The word expanded to include plumes of smoke because of the visual similarity—both are light, airy, and rise upward.
Plumes became a status symbol in fashion history because ostrich plumes were rare and expensive—the Victorians' love of plume hats nearly drove ostriches to extinction until conservation efforts stepped in. Beautiful language, destructive demand!
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