pluma

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin plūma. Doublet of plume.

Noun

pluma (plural plumae)

1. (zoology, archaic) A feather.

Related terms

• filopluma

References

• “pluma”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• ampul

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin plūma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpluma/
• Syllabification: plu‧ma
• Rhymes: -uma

Noun

pluma f (plural plumas)

1. feather

References

• Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002), “pluma”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN

Asturian

Etymology

Probably a semi-learned term taken from Latin plūma (“feather”). Compare Spanish pluma, however.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpluma/ [ˈplu.ma]
• Rhymes: -uma
• Syllabification: plu‧ma

Noun

pluma f (plural plumes)

1. feather (element of bird wings)
2. pen; plume

Derived terms

• esplumar

Further reading

• “pluma”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN
• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “pluma”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Saint-Maurice-de-Beynost)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Verb

pluma

1. third-person singular past historic of plumer

Galician

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin plūma (“feather”) (Latin pl- normally becomes ch- in inherited Galician); compare the semi-learned Old Galician-Portuguese pruma. See also chumazo, which was popularly inherited and underwent the usual sound changes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpluma/ [ˈplu.mɐ]
• Rhymes: -uma
• Hyphenation: plu‧ma

Noun

pluma f (plural plumas)

1. feather (element of bird wings)
2. pen (writing tool)
3. plume (large and showy feather)

Further reading

• “pluma”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• “pluma”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026

Interlingua

Etymology

From Spanish pluma, Portuguese pluma, French plume, English plume and Italian piùma, all from Latin plūma (“feather”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplu.ma/

Noun

pluma (plural plumas)

1. pen
2. feather

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpˠlˠʊmˠə/

Etymology 1

dhá phluma

Borrowed from Middle English plomme, ploume (“plum”). Doublet of prúna.

Noun

pluma m (genitive singular pluma, nominative plural plumaí)

1. plum

Derived terms

• crann plumaí (“plum-tree”)
• dátphluma (“date-plum, persimmon”)

Etymology 2

From English plumb, from Old French *plombe, from Latin plumba, plural of plumbum.

Noun

pluma m (genitive singular pluma, nominative plural plumaí)

1. plumb (of plumb-line), plummet

Declension

Declension of pluma (fourth declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative pluma plumaí vocative a phluma a phlumaí genitive pluma plumaí dative pluma plumaí forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an pluma na plumaí genitive an phluma na bplumaí dative leis an bpluma don phluma leis na plumaí

Mutation

Mutated forms of pluma

radical	lenition	eclipsis
pluma	phluma	bpluma

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “pluma”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959), “pluma”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “pluma”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *plew-

Proto-Indo-European *plewk-der.

Proto-Indo-European *plewk-smeh₂

Proto-Italic *plouksmā

Latin plūma

Inherited from Proto-Italic *plouksmā, from Proto-Indo-European *plewk-smeh₂, from *plewk- (“to fly”), from *plew-. Cognate with Lithuanian plùnksna (“feather”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpɫuː.ma]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈpluː.ma]

Noun

plūma f (genitive plūmae); first declension

1. feather, plume

   Synonym: penna f

2. (by extension) metal scale of armor
3. beard-down
   • 23 BCE – 13 BCE, Horatius, Carmina 4.10.2

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	plūma	plūmae
genitive	plūmae	plūmārum
dative	plūmae	plūmīs
accusative	plūmam	plūmās
ablative	plūmā	plūmīs
vocative	plūma	plūmae

Derived terms

• dēplūmis
• implūmis
• plūmācium
• plūmārius
• plūmātus
• plūmēscō
• plūmeus
• plūmiger
• plūmipēs
• plūmō
• plūmōsus
• plūmula
• replūmis

Descendants

• Emilian: piómma
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Italian: piuma
  • Sicilian: chiuma
  • Venetan: piuma
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: plume
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Northern:
    • Franco-Provençal: ploma
    • Old French: plume f (see there for further descendants)
  • Southern:
    • Catalan: ploma
    • Occitan: pluma
• Borrowings:
  • → Asturian: pluma
  • → Hebrew: פלומה
  • → Old Irish: clúm
    • Irish: clúmh
    • Manx: clooie
    • Scottish Gaelic: clòimh
  • → Proto-Brythonic: *plʉβ̃ (see there for further descendants)
  • → Proto-West Germanic: *plūmu (see there for further descendants)
  • → Portuguese: pluma
  • → Spanish: pluma

Papiamentu

Etymology

From Portuguese pluma and Spanish pluma.

Noun

pluma

1. feather
2. plume

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin plūma (“feather”) (Latin pl- normally becomes ch- in inherited Portuguese); compare the semi-learned Old Galician-Portuguese pruma. See also chumaço, which was popularly inherited and underwent the usual sound changes.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈplũ.mɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈplũ.mɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈplu.ma/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈplu.mɐ/

• Audio (Brazil (Caipira)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: plu‧ma

Noun

pluma f (plural plumas)

1. plume (large and showy feather)
2. (geology) upwelling of molten material from the Earth's mantle (mantle plume)

Related terms

• plumaço
• plumagem
• plumão

Further reading

• “pluma”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “pluma”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin plūma (“feather”), taken as an early semi-learned term (Latin pl- normally becomes ll- in inherited Spanish), or it may have maintained a conservative pronunciation as it would have been in use by mainly the upper class. A popular evolution of the word may have once existed in pre-literary Spanish, as evidenced by the Old Spanish derivative llumazo (compare Portuguese chumaço; see also Spanish chumacera, borrowed from a related Portuguese term). Cognate to English plume.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpluma/ [ˈplu.ma]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uma
• Syllabification: plu‧ma

Noun

pluma f (plural plumas)

1. feather
2. quill, quill pen
3. pen, fountain pen

   Synonym: pluma estilográfica

4. nib

   Synonyms: plumín, plumilla

5. (Mexico, US) ballpoint pen

   Synonym: bolígrafo

6. (figurative) writer, penman

   Synonym: escritor

7. (Spain, slang) effeminacy

   Synonyms: afeminación, afeminamiento, ramalazo

Derived terms

• al correr de la pluma
• alumbre de pluma
• buche y pluma
• buchipluma
• carne de pluma
• clavellina de pluma
• cortaplumas
• dejar correr la pluma
• desplumar
• escribir a vuela pluma
• gente de pluma
• hacer a pelo y pluma
• la pluma es más poderosa que la espada
• pasante de pluma
• pluma de agua
• pluma de gel
• pluma de indio
• pluma en sangre
• pluma estilográfica
• pluma fuente
• plumaje
• plumero
• plumífero
• plumín
• plumón
• tener pluma

Further reading

• “pluma”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish pluma.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈpluma/ [ˈpluː.mɐ]
• Rhymes: -uma
• Syllabification: plu‧ma

Noun

pluma (Baybayin spelling ᜉ᜔ᜎᜓᜋ)

1. pen (any writing instrument that uses ink)

See also

• bolpen